Distance and post position loom as key concerns for the 14 runners set for the Hong Kong Derby March 23 at Sha Tin Racecourse.
The 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4-mile) Derby is the final leg of a three-race series that ups the ante from the Hong Kong Classic Mile to the 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) of the Hong Kong Classic Cup before tacking on the equivalent of another furlong for the Derby itself.
While Hong Kong's successful international group 1 races grab most of the global glory, the Derby remains a key goal for local owners, and Derby Day is attended with plenty of Hong Kong-style hoopla.
The race, restricted to 4-year-olds, also has been a proving ground recently for further glory in group 1 events. Golden Sixty swept the series in 2020. Romantic Warrior won the Classic Mile and Derby in 2022, finishing fourth in the Cup.
The 2025 renewal features Rubylot, My Wish, and Johannes Brahms, the first three past the judge in the Cup. My Wish won the Classic Mile with Rubylot sixth and Johannes Brahms last of 14.
Although the 2,000-meter distance would seem to minimize the gate concerns, a short run to the first turn at Sha Tin Racecourse makes that an important consideration.
Rubylot got the best of the barrier draw for the Derby, landing in stall 4, while Johannes Brahms drew post 8 and My Wish was stuck in the outside slot.
Trainer Mark Newnham knew what gate he'd draw for My Wish in the March 20 ceremony because he wound up as the last to select and the only number left was 14. He braved it out.
"The horse has shown this season that he's adaptable and he's won from 13 and 14 already this season," Newnham said. "So we'll just have to come up with the right tactic to give ourselves the best chance to win.
"Voyage Bubble won from 14 (in 2023), so that's a positive."
Rubylot improved his lot with a good draw. He won the Cup from gate 8 and set sail from gate 10 in the Mile.
"I'm thrilled with the barrier," Rubylot's trainer David Hayes said. "I would have hated for him to draw three times in a row wide. If he'd drawn wide, he would have had to gone back but, from barrier 4, he can lob midfield and won't have to do as much."
Johannes Brahms, previously trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien for Coolmore, is a confirmed closer whose starting assignment might be of less concern. The added distance, however, might be to his advantage as a late runner, since none of the Classic Cup top finishers have yet tackled anything beyond 1,800 meters.
If experience counts, Tony Cruz can't be ruled out of the Derby picture. Cruz won the race four times as a jockey and has scored twice as a trainer, most recently in 2008 with Helene Mascot. The draw wasn't kind to Cruz, though, as his Californiatotality (AUS) starts from post 11 and Stunning Peach is in gate 12.
"That will suit them because they're one-actioned horses," Cruz said. "I like the Derby and you always want to win it. May the best man win."
