Hong Kong form expert Luke Middlebrook provides his thoughts on every race at the Hong Kong meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday 26 April.
11 Prestige Hall has been knocking on the door this season, three seconds from seven starts, and wide draws on occasion have not helped. He has barrier 6 today with Bowman.
Selections: 11-9-13-5
1 Turin Champions drops back into Class 4 and that looks a better fit, while barrier 4 is a welcome change after drawing wide in three of his last four runs. The lack of obvious speed on paper gives him the chance to land in a sweet spot from the gate and give himself every chance.
Selections: 1-6-4-7
6 Solid Car resumes off a pleasing trial, making up ground late without being asked for much, and he looks well placed to strike. Recent thirds behind Emblazon and Hot Delight are strong formlines and he maps well from barrier 3 for Ethan Brown.
Selections: 6-1-2-13
9 Daily Acclaim draws well in barrier 3 and gets Moreira for the first time after two encouraging runs over 1200m. The step up to 1400m looks timely in an open race and he appears ready to put his best foot forward.
Selections: 9-3-1-5
1 Ka Ying Rising goes for a record-extending 20th straight win on his final run of the season, and it is hard to frame it as anything other than another facile task for the world’s best sprinter.
Selections: 1-4-3-2
5 Cool Boy is a promising three-year-old with three wins from five, and his last-start fourth can be upgraded. He was slow away from barrier 10, raced keenly throughout, yet still finished strongly from eighth behind the talented Hot Delight. That effort sets him up to bounce back.
Selections: 5-4-8-2
1 Jantar Mantar is a four-time G1 winner and tries Sha Tin for the second time after a Hong Kong Mile run in 2024 that did not go to plan, reportedly off an interrupted preparation and a tough trip throughout. He is older now and arrives with major wins in 2025, taking the Yasuda Kinen and the Mile Championship, form that earned him Japan’s Champion Sprinter title.
Selections: 1-4-5-8
1 Helene Supafeeling reunites with James McDonald, who won on his Hong Kong debut four runs ago. He has not quite gone on with it since, but the inside draw and that jockey booking tick boxes.
Selections: 1-4-10-7
2 Romantic Warrior goes for a record-extending fourth win in this race and it is hard to find the horse to trouble him on home soil. His Sha Tin 2000m record tells the story, beaten only once from 14 tries, when Golden Sixty edged him by a head in the 2023 Gold Cup.
Selections: 2-1-4-3
3 Endued has been a standout this season already with two wins, and he arguably could be coming here with a better record given his last two runs were unlucky. He looks well placed again and the conditions give him every chance to atone.
Selections: 3-14-6-9
11 Salon S is a three-year-old on the rise for Frankie Lor, chasing a five-win streak and aiming to stay unbeaten as he tackles his toughest test yet, his first look at Class 2. He loves to jump and run, can sustain strong sectionals, and still has a kick when asked.
Selections: 11-5-12-9