Hong Kong superstars win easily in weekend horse racing

Hong Kong superstars win easily in weekend horse racingStory byGiocoso wins Saturday's Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs. Photo courtesy of Churchill DownsRobert Kieckhefer, UPI Racing WriterMon, November 24, 2025 at 3:20 PM UTC·7 min read

Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Hong Kong superstars Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior dominated the local competition Sunday in their warm-ups for next month's International Races, and Jantar Mantar assumed the mantle of king of Japanese milers.

The Dubai World Cup Carnival is getting serious unusually early, too. And, on the domestic front, Del Mar, Churchill Downs and Aqueduct offered weekend graded stakes of note.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Starting from the top ...

Hong Kong

Nevada Beach wins Saturday's Native Diver at Del Mar. Benoit Photography, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club

Nevada Beach wins Saturday's Native Diver at Del Mar. Benoit Photography, courtesy of Del Mar Turf Club

Good luck to the international challengers targeting the Dec. 14 Longines Hong Kong International Races.

Romantic Warrior wins Sunday's Jockey Club Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club

Local superstars Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising dominated their Group 2 Bank of China Hong Kong Jockey Club races Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse in final warmups for the big Group 1 races. That was expected. But the ease of their victories was impressive, even by their own lofty standards.

Romantic Warrior, the world's all-time earnings champion, shrugged off two heartbreaking, early-year second-place finishes, a 232-day layoff and surgery on his left foreleg to romp home first in the Jockey Club Cup, relegating his primary challenger, Voyage Bubble to second.

Jantar Mantar wins Sunday's Grade 1 Mile Championship at Tokyo Racecourse. Photo by and courtesy of Katsumi Saito

That sets him up with a chance to score a fourth straight victory in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup next month.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

"He's so special," winning rider James McDonald said. "It takes the words out of my mouth, to be fair. It's an absolute privilege to ride him, and every time he goes around there's a huge smile on the face. He's really touching, that horse."

Ka Ying Rising, the world's top-ranked sprinter, cruised home first in the Jockey Club Sprint -- his 15th straight win. And he did it in near-record time despite giving 5 pounds to the rest of the field and being eased through the final 100 meters by jockey Zac Purton.

Next stop is the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint, which he won last year amid that ongoing victory skein.

"I've never seen him look so good," Purton said of the horse who last time out demolished Australia's best in the Group 1 The Everest. "We were hoping he was going to do that, and it's good for him to back up what we were thinking."

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

With Voyage Bubble moving up to the Cup distance, the Jockey Club Mile, and possibly its December counterpart, looked wide open. But Galaxy Patch, winless in seven starts stretching over 13 months, got a ground-saving ride, led down the stretch and held off the closers for a promising win and would seem to inherit the local favorite's role in three weeks' time.

Japan

Jantar Mantar completed his conquest of Japan's four open Grade 1 mile races with a victory in Sunday's Mile Championship at Tokyo Racecourse.

The 4-year-old Palace Malice colt won the Asahi Hai Futurity at age 2, the 2024 NHK Mile Cup and the Yasuda Kinen earlier this year, leaving no doubt he's Japan's top mile specialist.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

In Sunday's race, jockey Yuga Kawada drafted behind the two early leaders, took the point turning into the uphill stretch run and let Jantar Mantar loose to win by 1 3/4 lengths. An ambitious English invader, Docklands, was never in the mix and finished ninth.

"Owing to his outstanding talent and to the hard work of everyone involved, the colt has won all Grade 1 Mile events open for colts and horses, which I think is absolutely incredible," Kawada said.

Dubai

The Dubai World Cup Carnival seems to be heating up earlier than usual this season with some nice horses already in action on Friday's card.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Heart of Honor, beaten by just a nose in the 2025 UAE Derby and then fifth in the Preakness Stakes and sixth in the Belmont Stakes, returned to action with a bang in the Nakheel Stakes.

Slow from the gate, the Honor A.P. gelding gave jockey Saffie Osborne all she needed after that -- and more. Circling most of his rivals, Heart of Honor won by 7 3/4 lengths. Trainer Jaime Osborne said he will move on to the listed Entisar in three weeks' time.

Mendelssohn Bay, winner of the 2024 UAE 2000 Guineas, also got a running start on 2025-26 with a 6-length victory in the listed Dubai Creek Mile.

"I think the obvious target would be the Al Maktoum Mile," winning rider Richie Mullen said.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Even Charlie Appleby is getting into the early action. The Godolphin minder sent out Devon Island to win the Palm Central Maiden for 2-year-olds by 5 lengths. His next stop likely is the UAE 2000 Guineas.

Meanwhile, back in North America ...

Del Mar

Nevada Beach, last seen finishing seventh in the Breeders' Cup Classic, got back into the winner's circle with a hard-fought, 1/2-length victory over British Isles in Saturday's $100,000 Native Diver Stakes.

With Juan Hernandez up for Bob Baffert, Nevada Beach raced third in the four-horse field until called on exiting the stretch turn. British Isles led briefly and battled on, but couldn't match Nevada Beach's finish. The 1 1/8 miles on a fast track went in 1:48.35.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Churchill Downs

Saturday's wonderfully competitive $300,000 Grade III Commonwealth Turf shook out to Giocoso and Chapman's Peak battling to the wire with Giocoso putting a head in front at the end. Outrunner, at odds of nearly 50-1, made all the early going and held on for third, 1 length farther back. Giocoso, a Not This Time colt, ran 1 1/16 miles on firm going in 1:41.47 for jockey Jose Ortiz.

Aqueduct

Fast Market rallied from next to last to win Sunday's weather-delayed $175,000 Grade III Pebbles Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by 1 1/2 lengths over Love You Anyway.

The daughter of Violence, with Flavien Prat up for trainer John Terranova II, ran 1 1/16 miles on the firm inner turf course in 1:43.22. She was last seen finishing second, beaten a neck, in the Grade II Sands Point. Prat won five races on the program.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Doc Sullivan pressed pacesetter Dr. Kraft around the turn in Saturday's $125,000 Thunder Rumble Division of the New York Stallion Stakes at Aqueduct, wrested away the lead a furlong and a half from home and rolled home first by 5 1/2 lengths.

The Solomini colt ran 7 furlongs on a sloppy, sealed track in 1:22.31 with Joel Rosario up for trainer John Ortiz. The race was restricted to New York-breds.

In the companion Staten Island Division for state-bred fillies and mares, Khali Magic led all the way to a 12-1 upset victory, defeating fellow long shot Soloshot by 1/2 length. The 7-year-old Al Khali mare finished in 1:23.84. Reuben Silvera rode for trainer and part-owner Rudy Rodriguez.

Laurel Park

Barbadian Runner, the odds-on favorite, dominated the stretch run in Saturday's $100,000 Richard W. Small Stakes, drawing off to a daylight lead before winning by 4 1/4 lengths.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Grammy Girl outfinished the favorite, Takethemoneyhoney, in the $100,000 Willa On the Move Stakes for fillies and mares, winning by a head.

And Petingas Twin dueled with Prince of Jericho in deep stretch in the $100,000 Dave's Friend Stakes, then put his nose in front at the finish.

Fair Grounds

Rising Inflation took over a furlong out in Thursday's $100,000 John Valene Memorial for state-bred fillies and mares and got away to win by 4 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite.

On Saturday, Letmikefigureitout led most of the way to a 2 1/2-length victory in the $100,000 Jacob V. Morreale Stakes for Louisiana-breds at 1 mile, 70 yards.

In the state-bred sprint ranks, Not On Herb won the $100,000 Andrew Ney Memorial by 3/4 length and Secret Faith prevailed in the $100,000 Delmar R. Caldwell for fillies and mares.

AdvertisementAdvertisement