Voyage Bubble proved he more than belonged on the billing for the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races alongside two greats when a herculean winner of the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) on Sunday (14 December).

He may not have the same magnetic allure as local legends Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior, but last season’s Triple Crown winner more than did his bit to contribute to a wonderful day at Sha Tin by fighting off the challenge of Soul Rush and landing his second HK$36 million LONGINES Hong Kong Mile.

Unlike in last month’s G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2000m), there was no Romantic Warrior standing in the way of Voyage Bubble this time, and the local hero added his name to an illustrious list of multiple Mile winners comprising Monopolize (1995 & 1996), Good Ba Ba (2007-2009), Beauty Generation (2017 & 2018) and Golden Sixty (2020, 2021 & 2023).

His hard-fought half-length victory over Soul Rush represented a repeat of last year’s result and formed part of a memorable day for Zac Purton, who was replacing the seven-year-old’s regular partner James McDonald for the second time in succession. Once again, it was bravery, so often a trademark of Voyage Bubble’s performances, that came to the fore.

“I think he just showed what type of horse he is,” Purton said. “He’s not the horse who is going to give you a ‘wow’ performance, but he’s got such a big heart that he’s always up for the fight.

“He’s in the shadow of the big two, unfortunately, but in his own right, he’s a supremely good horse. A Triple Crown winner, he’s come back today off the canvas to win.

“When we reflect back upon all the great horses that have been in Hong Kong, he’s certainly going to be remembered in the way that he should. His CV is outstanding. To come out and go back-to-back in the Hong Kong Mile, it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Voyage Bubble broke wide from stall 12 and found a prominent position behind the trail-blazing Pray For Mir, with Docklands and Copartner Prance positioned prominently further inside.

Last year’s runner-up Soul Rush was encouraged to improve by Cristian Demuro as the race developed, and he joined Pray For Mir and Voyage Bubble around the home turn. 

It was the visiting horse, Soul Rush, who defeated Romantic Warrior in a pulsating finish to the G1 Dubai Turf (1800m) in April, who looked to have the edge on his final start before being retired to stud.

However, the battle of the seven-year-olds was won by the local star as Voyage Bubble secured a sixth Group 1 success for trainer Ricky Yiu and his owners, the Sunshine and Moonlight Syndicate.

“The horse has great heart,” Yiu said. “A lot of credit goes to the jockey, Zac, he did it so well. It seemed to me that he’d ridden the horse for a long time, but obviously, he knew him well from his last start.

“Although he’s seven, I don’t really feel the age of him. He’s still full of beans. After we got beaten last time we decided to go for the Mile.”

Red Lion, who conquered Voyage Bubble in the G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) in April, slipstreamed the protagonists into the home straight and responded admirably to Hugh Bowman’s urgings to finish a gallant third.

Docklands was competing in his fourth jurisdiction of the year after contesting the G1 Mile Championship (1600m) last time and improved vastly on his 12th-placed effort in the race last year to finish fourth under Tom Marquand.

On Voyage Bubble’s owners, the Sunshine And Moonlight Syndicate, Yiu added: “It’s a really nice group of people. Every time the horse runs, they’re cheering.”

They weren’t the only ones, for it was a day when the mighty Voyage Bubble gained another deserved success on the biggest stage.