Owner Stanley Chan admits no feeling of the usual pre-race nerves as his champion, Golden Sixty, and his phenomenal exploits face yet another enthralling twist in Sunday’s (10 December) HK$32 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin.
Returning after a 224-day break between runs, his longest spell ever, Golden Sixty has to defy the widest of 14 barriers – a stall that has returned three winners in the 32-year history of the race after Additional Risk (1991) and Catalan Opening (1997), who won when the contest was run as the Hong Kong International Bowl (1400m), and Beauty Flash (2010), who prevailed under the race’s current conditions.
This weekend’s LONGINES Hong Kong Mile will be Golden Sixty’s third last appearance in competition and his last chance to capture a record-tying third win in the race, with his career set to conclude after the 2024 HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) on 21 January and 2024 HK$22 million G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) on 28 April.
“He’s won all of the important races in Hong Kong across the last few years, so what can I expect from him? Hopefully he can keep good health and after these three races I will send him to Japan for retirement,” Chan said.