Hong Kong Cup
Hong Kong Cup
Group One Betting Guide
| Date: | December 10, 2023 |
| Location: | Sha Tin Racecourse, Hong Kong |
| Distance: | 2000m |
| Prize Money: | HK$36,000,000 |
The Hong Kong Cup is the final feature race at the International Meeting at Sha Tin, and it usually features a quality field of runners from all over the world. The 2000m Group 1 race was first run in 1988 and has since attracted world-wide fame and a string of champion winners.
Names such as Jim And Tonic, Fantastic Light, Designs On Rome and 2015 winner A Shin Hikari have graced the Cup in recent history, and since 1990 it has become a race open to horses all over the world. Come 1992, horses from United States, Canada and Japan were allowed to run in the Hong Kong Cup, and that traditional has stood the test of time.
2023 Hong Kong Cup Odds
The 2023 Hong Kong Cup odds as of December 6 look like this:
- Romantic Warrior – +130
- Prognosis – +300
- Rosham Park – +450
- Luxembourg – +900
- Horizon Dore – +1000
- Hishi Iguazu – +1800
Complete Hong Kong Cup odds available at Neds.
Best bookmakers for Hong Kong Cup betting
All of HorseBetting’s recommended online bookmakers run markets for the Hong Kong Cup each year, including all-in and futures options. Check out the licensed betting sites below to find the best odds for the 2023 Hong Kong Cup.
Best bookmakers for Hong Kong Cup betting
Latest Hong Kong Cup News
The annual Hong Kong International Race Day will be held at Sha Tin Racecourse this Sunday afternoon. Check out Horsebetting's ...
Tony Cruz believes that California Spangle can repeat his victory over Golden Sixty in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile ...
A smile spread across the face of Danny Shum and the connections of Romantic Warrior the instant the barrier draw ...
Andrea Atzeni has will bid to underline his potential as one of the brightest talents with two rides at the ...
Aidan O’Brien is expecting big things from the Hong Kong International Races, with four runners from his stable expected to ...
Serifos and Prognosis will represent the Mitsumasa Nakauchida Stable in the 2023 Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin ...
Hong Kong Cup records and statistics
The race record belongs to Romantic Warrior, which ran 1:59.70 when winning in 2022.
California Memory is the only horse to win more than one Hong Kong Cup when Matthew Chadwick was in the saddle, but Frankie Dettori has won three as a jockey.
The Italian champion won aboard Fantastic Light in 2000, Falbrav in 2003 and Ramonti in 2007.
Godolphin trainer Saeed Bin Suroor has won the race twice with Fantastic Light and Ramonti. Local trainer Tony Cruz has also had two victories in consecutive years with California Memory.
The Hong Kong Cup has been won by diverse group that includes a lot of very talented horses, with none more so than the 2020 champion, Maurice. Because there are so many good horses in the country for the Hong Kong International Races (HKIR), it can often be a raffle who wins the Cup.
A good indicator of the key chances in these races is the jockey onboard the horse. If Zac Purton is in the saddle, you can guarantee his mount is a chance because he generally is given the plumb rides. Many of Australia’s best hoops also make the trip to Hong Kong for the race, including the likes of Hugh Bowman and James McDonald.
2023 Hong Kong Cup Final Field
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Previous Hong Kong Cup Field
No. Silks Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight 1 
Panthalassa Yoshito Yahagi Yoshida Yutaka 8 126lb 2 Romantic Warrior Danny Shum James McDonald 7 126lb 3 Jack D’or Kenichi Fujioka Take Yutaka 2 126lb 4 Order Of Australia Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore 11 126lb 5 Russian Emperor Douglas Whyte Blake Shinn 5 126lb 6 Danon The Kid Takayuki Yasuda Kitamura Yuichi 6 126lb 7 Tourbillon Diamond Danny Shum Hugh Bowman 12 126lb 8 Ka Ying Star Tony Cruz Luke Ferraris 9 126lb 9 Money Catcher Frankie Lor Silvestre De Sousa 4 126lb 10 Savvy Nine Douglas Whyte Karis Teetan 10 126lb 11 Geoglyph Tetsuya Kimura William Buick 3 123lb 12 Lei Papale Tomokazu Takano Joao Moreira 1 122lb
2022 Hong Kong Cup result
1st – Romantic Warrior (-125)
2nd – Danon The Kid (+315)
3rd – Money Catcher (+635)
Recent Hong Kong Cup winners
- They came to bow down to the old king and left saluting a powerful new prince of Hong Kong racing as Romantic Warrior left a high-class global field trailing in his wake at Sha Tin with a thunderous performance in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m).Content to settle back into sixth as Ka Ying Star and Money Catcher pressed the leader passing halfway, James McDonald asked Romantic Warrior to improve on the outer rounding the home turn and Shum took a deep breath and moved his multi coloured glasses to the top of his forehead. And then, as Romantic Warrior loomed up to challenge with just over 300m to run, the winning trainer Danny Shum finally let his pent-up emotions bubble to the surface. A deep-throated “Good Boy” rang around the side of the Sha Tin stand as McDonald asked his mount to deliver the killer blow and Romantic Warrior didn’t hesitate for a second, powering four and a half lengths clear take over from globetrotting French star Jim And Tonic (1999) as the widest margin winner in Hong Kong Cup history in a winning time of 1m 59.70s.
- Loves Only You set the perfect seal on one of international racing’s most colourful careers with a spellbinding success in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup. Sent off the $2.60 market leader, Loves Only You jumped alertly from stall four and was soon travelling keenly just behind a steady early pace set by Mac Swiney, Ka Ying Star and the wide-running Bolshoi Ballet. Russian Emperor made a bold move to hit the front as a packing field jostled for position early in the home straight but last season’s BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) runner-up edged right with his tongue lolling out as he did so, placing Loves Only You in a pocket on the inner at a crucial point. Hishi Iguazu produced a storming run from the rear on the outside soon after under Joao Moreira to draw level briefly well inside the final furlong. However, Kawada had Loves Only You in fully cry by this stage and the five-year-old repeated her Del Mar heroics, quickening valiantly between horses under pressure to lead close home and beat her fellow Japanese raider by a short head.
- Having finished fourth in the Hong Kong Mile in 2019, connections of Normcore opted to stretch the mare out the 2000m for a Hong Kong Cup and it proved to be a winning combination. Having settled in the second half of the field, Zac Purton timed his run perfectly aboard the Japanese mare, with the big grey prevailing over the final 100m.
- Win Bright was able to hold out a fast finishing Magic Wand in a thrilling finish to the 2019 Hong Kong Cup. The pair had paired off in the running just off the pace and looked to both be travelling smoothly when cornering for the run to the judge. Both looked to have been struggling with 200 metres to go, but it was the Japanese galloper Win Bright who was too strong for his rivals over the concluding stages.
- Glorious Forever completed a clean sweep for the Hong Kong trainers at the 2018 HKIR after a brilliant front-running ride by Silvester de Sousa. Spearing out to an early lead it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the swoopers would descend and eventually run the leader down. It wasn’t the case however as de Sousa hugged the rails and under a vigorous ride found enough in the latter stages to hold off the fast-finishing favourite Dierdre.
- Time Warp was not well favoured in the market heading into the Hong Kong Cup in 2017 but under a brilliant ride from champion jockey Zac Purton, the horse duly delivered. Taking to the front early in the piece Time Warp produced a powerful and sustained run from the front before kicking away in the straight to win by close to three lengths from Werther.
- Maurice was having its last start before heading off to stud and it made a great impact on its way out. The Japanese star didn’t jump well with Ryan Moore in the saddle and it was giving A Shin Hikari many lengths into the home straight, but the champion reeled it in quick smart before running away with the victory at the odds-on price of $1.70. Read report here.
- A Shin Hikari burst onto the world scene when winning the Hong Kong Cup in 2015. The Japanese-trained runner was the fourth Japanese winner of the Hong Kong Cup and the first since Agnes Digital won in 2001. A Shin Hikari paid $26 for the win in what was considered a big upset. It set a strong pace in front and it held on to score by a length in a race record time.
- Designs Of Rome was a popular winner in 2014 for trainer John Moore and champion jockey Joao Moreira. The son of Holy Roman Emperor was a stylish winner over the likes of Military Attack and Australian runner Criterion. In its usual style, Designs On Rome settle at the rear of the field before producing a big finishing burst down the outside.
- Akeed Mofeed wasn’t one of the most popular Hong Kong Cup victors in recent history, but the Richard Gibson-trained runner was too good for its rivals in 2013 and it would later represent Hong Kong at the Dubai World Cup. It paid a short price on the tote with bookmakers when holding out Japanese entrant Tokei Halo and Cirrus des Aigles.
Hong Kong Cup past winners list
| Hong Kong Cup Past Winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2022 | Romantic Warrior | James McDonald | Danny Shum |
| 2021 | Loves Only You | Yuga Kawada | Yoshito Yahagi |
| 2020 | Normcore | Zac Purton | Kiyoshi Hagiwara |
| 2019 | Win Bright | Masami Matsuoka | Yoshihiro Hatakeyama |
| 2018 | Glorious Forever | Silvestre de Sousa | Frankie Lor |
| 2017 | Time Warp | Zac Purton | Tony Cruz |
| 2016 | Maurice | Ryan Moore | Moriyuki Hori |
| 2015 | A Shin Hikari | Yutaka Take | Masanori Sakaguchi |
| 2014 | Designs On Rome | Joao Moreira | John Moore |
| 2013 | Akeed Mofeed | Douglas Whyte | Richard Gibson |
| 2012 | California Memory | Matthew Chadwick | Tony Cruz |
| 2011 | California Memory | Matthew Chadwick | Tony Cruz |
| 2010 | Snow Fairy | Ryan Moore | Ed Dunlop |
| 2009 | Vision d’Etat | Olivier Peslier | Eric Libaud |
| 2008 | Eagle Mountain | Kevin Shea | Mike de Kock |
| 2007 | Ramonti | Frankie Dettori | Saeed Bin Suroor |
| 2006 | Pride | Christophe Lemaire | Alain de Royer-Dupre |
| 2005 | Vengeance Of Rain | Anthony Delpech | David Ferraris |
| 2004 | Alexander Goldrun | Kevin Manning | Jim Bolger |
| 2003 | Falbrav | Frankie Dettori | Luca Cumani |
| 2002 | Precision | Michael Kinane | David Oughton |
| 2001 | Agnes Digital | Hirofumi Shii | Toshiaki Shirai |
| 2000 | Fantastic Light | Frankie Dettori | Saaed Bin Suroor |
| 1999 | Jim And Tonic | Gerald Mosse | Francois Doumen |
| 1998 | Midnight Bet | Hirofumi Shii | Toshiaki Shirai |
| 1997 | Val’s Prince | Cash Asmussen | James Picou |
| 1996 | First Island | Michael Hills | Geoff Wragg |
| 1995 | Fujiyama Kenzan | Masayoshi Ebina | Hideyuki Mori |
| 1994 | State Taj | Damien Oliver | James Riley |
| 1993 | Motivation | John Marshall | John Moore |
| 1992 | Romanee Conti | Greg Childs | Laurie Laxon |
| 1991 | River Verdon | Gerald Mosse | David Hill |
| 1990 | Kessem | Kevin Moses | Brian Smith |
| 1989 | Grey Invader | Gary Stewart | Alvin Clark |
| 1989 | Colonial Chief | Tony Cruz | Ivan Allan |
| 1988 | Flying Dancer | Bartie Leisher | Brian Kan |
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