Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, April 25 (Reporter Wang Zijiang, Wei Hua) Facing the upcoming championship race day, trainer Wu Pengzhi is both excited and apprehensive. Excitedly, he will have three horses making their Champions League debuts on Race Day, and to his trepidation, they have a formidable opponent – Hong Kong King Horse King Sixty.
The Champions Day will be held on 28 April at Sha Tin Racecourse and will be one of the most important races of the Hong Kong racing season and one of the most important races in the world of horseracing. This year's event is a significant event because in addition to Hong Kong's local horses, there are also 11 horses from the UK and Japan, who will compete in three Group 1 races for a total prize fund of up to HK$72 million (about 66.64 million yuan).
"Champions Day is a very important race and winning the championship is every trainer's dream. Wu Pengzhi told reporters.
One of the most eye-catching races of the Champions Day is the 1,600-metre Champions Mile with a total prize fund of HK$22 million (about 20.36 million yuan).
Watch Galaxy has been performing well since entering Hong Kong last year, winning four first prizes and three runners-up this season, including a second place finish in the Derby Contest last month. The Derby Race is another classic race in Hong Kong in addition to the Champions Raceday.
Wu Pengzhi said that "Watch Galaxy" is now in very good shape, it is an all-round horse, and there are few horses like it, whether it is participating in the 1200m or 1600m or even 2000m races, it can maintain such a good condition.
The 40-year-old is one of the youngest Chinese trainers in Hong Kong, and his father, Ng Pik-kuen, was also a well-known trainer in Hong Kong. Started riding at the age of eight and devoted himself full-time to horse racing after graduating from university, studying at renowned stables in Australia, Japan and the United States.
Ng started his career as a trainer in Hong Kong in the 2022-2023 season, winning 41 races in his first season. This season, his performance has been even more eye-catching, with his "Jiaying Inheritance" winning third place in the Lottery Contest in addition to "Watch Galaxy". He has won 55 first prizes, 40 second prizes and 41 third prizes in more than 460 races this season, placing him at the top of the trainer's rankings.
If they want to win the championship race on Championship Day, there is an insurmountable obstacle in front of all the competitors, and that is the "Golden Sixty", which has won the championship for three consecutive years. "Golden 60" has played 30 games in his career, won 26 championships, 2 runners-up and 1 third place, and has accumulated prize money of more than 160 million Hong Kong dollars (about 148.1 million yuan), making him a well-deserved "king of horses". The race on the 28th is likely to be his last race before retiring, and if he can retire with a four-in-a-row title, it will write a myth in Hong Kong racing. Its comeback has undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on Wu Pengzhi and other opponents.
"I am already very satisfied that 'Galaxy' can run close to 'Golden Sixty', and it may be very difficult to defeat it, after all, 'Golden Sixty' is one in a million. Wu Pengzhi said.
However, "Golden Sixty" is already eight years old, which is past the golden age of speed racing, while "Golden Silver" is at the peak of his career. More importantly, Wu Pengzhi knows very well about the "King of Horses" trained by Lu Jianwei. A few years ago, when he was working together as the deputy of this senior, he had the opportunity to get up close and personal with "Jin Gong Sixty". "'Galaxy of Watches' will save our strength in the first half of the race, but we will have an advantage in speed in the sprint. He said.
"If you win the championship, what reward will you give to the racehorse?" Faced with this question, Wu Pengzhi said with a smile: "The prize will be given to him a lot of carrots to eat." According to Hong Kong's standard of eating for horse racing, carrots are the best gift. ”