Ho Ho Khan will try to strike a blow for the four-year-old crop in the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap (2400m) at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday, 5 May.
David Hall’s game galloper is one of two horses in the fascinating 10-runner weekend feature that contested the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) back in March. Now he gets his chance to stretch out over a trip his connections believe he will relish.
“He’s definitely looking for this. Mr. Hall and I think he can for sure handle the distance,” jockey Vincent Ho said this morning (Friday, 3 May).
“He has a good draw (2) this time so hopefully he will get a good position. He always relaxes and travels in his races so 2400 (metres) will be no problem for him – we’ll see how the pace pans out.”
Ho Ho Khan (122lb), a game fifth in the Derby, will take up the Classic Series baton along with Derby ninth Helene Leadingstar (121lb). That form could do with a boost one week on from Derby one-two Furore and Waikuku finishing sub-par10th and 12th in the all-age G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) – Dark Dream was the best of the generation in seventh.
“Ho Ho Khan feels good and we’ll see how much he improves,” Ho said. “He’s improved each run; he did well in the Derby and even his race after, he did really well. Hopefully he can win this time.”
The New Zealand import rattled up the ratings in the first half of this season, pulling off a hat-trick of 1800m wins at the course before smart efforts in the final two Classic Series legs. Last time, the Makfi colt placed third to Dark Dream in a 2000m Class 1 off a rating of 96, a mark 25 points higher than at the beginning of this term.
“He’s still a colt but he’s so quiet, he’s a gentleman, he has a good temperament and a good brain and that’s why he has improved so much,” Ho said.
The season’s leading local rider is seeking a third Group race win, his first having been achieved aboard the Hall-trainer Bundle Of Joy in the National Day Cup (1000m) in 2014, and his latest in the same G3 race aboard Dashing Fellow in 2017.
Zac Purton, meanwhile, is fresh from yet another big-race win on Beauty Generation in last week’s G1 Champions Mile.
The champion jockey and runaway premiership leader sides with the Frankie Lor-trained Ruthven (124lb) in the Queen Mother Memorial Cup. The 2017 G1 Queensland Derby winner has struggled since suffering injury setbacks late last season but showed a glimmer of form when a neck third last time over 1650m at Happy Valley.
“He’s a hard horse to work out,” Purton said. “But last time was an encouraging performance and maybe the extra distance is what he’s looking for.
“It’s a tricky race to try and work out: there are a few horses with a bit of a chance.”
Rain fell incessantly at Sha Tin Friday morning and the forecast suggests it could be wet on race day too, although Purton’s weather chart was more optimistic.
“It might clear up by Sunday,” he said, “but if it did rain on the day that wouldn’t hurt his chances as much as it would some of the others.”
The field also features the consistent John Size-trained top-weight Insayshable (133lb), runner-up to Dark Dream last time, as well as the Cruz-trained 2016 G2 Italian Derby winner Super Chic (124lb) and his talented but quirky stablemate Savvy Six (113lb), third in the 2017 G1 German Derby.
John Moore will saddle Helene Charisma (117lb), second in the mile and a half feature two years ago. The G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner thereafter descended to Class 3 and a rating of 74 before he was able to open his Hong Kong account at Happy Valley. That was three runs ago, at start 28.
The gelding followed up in that grade over 2200m – evidently invigorated by his relocation to Conghua – before running five lengths eighth last time in the Class 1 won by Dark Dream in which Ho Ho Khan was third.
“I just have some doubts about him being at his best at Sha Tin as compared to Happy Valley: he was a fit horse going into that last race and didn’t finish off as required so he might be a horse-for-courses type of horse.
“He’ll love it if we can get some rain, he loves being up at Conghua away from the hustle and bustle of Sha Tin, but the worry is racing at Sha Tin.”
The field also includes the Hall-trained Victory Boys (122lb), Mongolian King (113lb) from the Me Tsui stable – with the handler one short of his 500th career win. The Jimmy Ting-trained four-year-old Tashidelek (113lb) completes the line-up and is weighted to race from 17lb out of the handicap.
The Queen Mother Memorial Cup is one of only three 2400m contests on the Hong Kong calendar and is a lead-up to the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) on Sunday, 26 May.
Sha Tin’s 11-race card starts at 12.30pm with the Chairmen’s Day Plate (1000m), the season’s second Griffin contest for two-year-olds and three-year-olds which were unraced before import.
– News from Hong Kong Jockey Club
