Hong Kong preview: Wand continues world tour

The most valuable heat on Sunday’s card is the Hong Kong Cup (08:10 GMT), which boasts a prize fund of HK$28 million (£2.72m) and has been won by some familiar names to European racegoers over the years, including the likes of Fantastic Light (2000), Falbrav (2003) and Snow Fairy (2010).

Ed Dunlop’s star filly was the last horse trained outside of Asia to win the race – local runners have won six of the last eight renewals, with the other two going the way of Japan – but there isn’t a standout contender amongst the home team for what looks a sub-standard contest on Sunday, and Magic Wand appears to hold sound claims of ending a barren spell for the raiders on what will be her twelfth start (in a sixth different country) of 2019.

Magic Wand finally wins her Group 1, the Mackinnon Stakes! pic.twitter.com/ljbdcmjGiI

— Racing.com (@Racing) November 9, 2019

Magic Wand proved at least as good as ever to make a belated breakthrough at the highest level in the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington last time, keeping on well to get the verdict by a length. That form is amongst the best on offer in this line-up and she will encounter what appear to be her optimum conditions here, a mile and a quarter on fast ground.

Admittedly, trainer Aidan O’Brien hasn’t enjoyed much success in Hong Kong over the years – his only wins came courtesy of Highland Reel in the 2015 and 2017 renewals of the Hong Kong Vase – but Magic Wand looks better equipped for the task than most who have tried. Indeed, there are plenty of similarities to be drawn between her and Highland Reel, a consistent globetrotter who has already demonstrated a remarkable constitution.

Others with leading form claims in an open renewal include Furore and Win Bright. The former won the Hong Kong Derby in March and returned to that sort of level when second in the Group 2 Jockey Club Cup over C&D last time, a race in which he had several of these behind (Rise High fourth, Time Warp seventh, Dark Dream eighth and Glorious Forever ninth).

Win Bright, on the other hand, has been below form on his last two starts in his native Japan, but he had previously produced a career best to land the QEII Cup over C&D in April (very smart form) and shouldn’t be underestimated on his return to Sha Tin.

The race on the card featuring the most representatives from Europe is the Hong Kong Vase (05:40 GMT).

Aspetar and Young Rascal are a couple of the raiding party to note on the back of relatively light campaigns, but the pick of them looks to be Anthony Van Dyck, a stablemate of Magic Wand who wears blinkers for the first time after his third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita. That was probably his best effort since winning a below-average renewal of the Derby and he should play a hand in the finish if building on that here.

Exultant wins the @Longines Hong Kong Vase for the locals! #HKIR @zpurton @HKJC_Racing pic.twitter.com/NwPSpRggVy

— Racing.com (@Racing) December 9, 2018

However, the Ballydoyle runner needs to improve to match the level achieved by last year’s winner Exultant, who has cemented his position as one of the best middle-distance performers in Hong Kong this year, notably producing a career-best effort to defy his Group 1 penalty in the Jockey Club Cup (by a length and a quarter from Furore) last time.

That form leaves him 3 lb clear of the Japanese-trained Deirdre – another who is familiar to British racegoers after her Nassau Stakes win at Goodwood in August – on weight-adjusted ratings. Admittedly, he is drawn widest of all here in stall 14, which makes life more difficult, but few men ride this track better than Zac Purton and Exultant looks sure to take plenty of beating as he attempts to become the fourth dual winner of this race.

The most confident selection on the card comes in the Hong Kong Sprint (06:20 GMT), with Aethero looking to hold outstanding claims if confirming the deep impression he created in winning the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint over C&D (by two lengths from Hot King Prawn, with Beat The Clock another length back in third) last time.

Jet! Aethero is sensational in the Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin! @HKJC_Racing pic.twitter.com/1wKgzdVTOF

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) November 17, 2019

That form comfortably sets the standard here on weight-adjusted ratings, and, with further improvement on the cards, he looks set to be a formidable force in this division for years to come, still only a three-year-old after all.

The last of the four Group 1s on the card is the Hong Kong Mile (07:30 GMT), in which it could be worth opposing the winner of the last two renewals, Beauty Generation. He is undoubtedly a top-class performer on his day, as he demonstrated with 10 consecutive wins at this venue between April 2018 and October 2019, but he has been beaten on his last two starts (well below his best on the most recent occasion) and may just be coming to the end of his tether at the age of seven.

Preference at the current prices if for Japanese contender Indy Champ. He is improving all the time and produced his best effort yet when landing the Group 1 Mile Championship at Kyoto last time, a performance that identifies him as by far the most likely to take advantage if Beauty Generation fails to come up to scratch once again.