Victory in Sunday’s HK$20 million Gr.1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) would elevate Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro) to status as the highest prize money earner in Hong Kong racing history and, if his latest win wasn’t convincing enough, trainer Francis Lui has issued an ominous warning to rivals that Hong Kong’s champion is back in a very, very big way.
“He seems to have improved his condition, he seems to be back – he showed that,” said Lui of the six-year-old gelding who sauntered to success by two lengths in the Gr.2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m) last start.
That triumph earlier this month saw him banish successive defeats with his 20th career win as he ticked over HK$102,000,600 in earnings and an FWD Champions Mile repeat on Sunday would see him leapfrog the current record-holder for prize money in Hong Kong – Beauty Generation, who banked HK$106,233,750.
A cheque for HK$11.4 million is on offer to the winner this weekend and it is well within Golden Sixty’s grasp, even second place will get him into top spot for all-time earnings with HK$4.4 million up for grabs.
Golden Sixty sits two points shy of top-spot in the latest edition of the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. The gelding is a five-time Group one winner, four-time Group two winner and two-time Group three winner from 23 starts.
“I am proud, it’s not easy to have a good horse like him,” Lui said.
Golden Sixty is aiming to complete the Hong Kong Mile-Champions Mile double in the same season for a second time, a feat also completed by Beauty Generation (2018 & 2019).
Golden Sixty was purchased out of Riversley Park’s 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run draft for $300,000 By Francis Lui and later did his early education under Matamata trainer Graham Richardson.
