Longines Hong Kong Cup
Hong Kong | FEATURE RACE GUIDE
History
The Longines Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 race run under Weight For Age conditions for the middle distance horses at Sha Tin conducted by Hong Kong Jockey Club.
It is run as part of the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) meeting run in December each year.
The Longines Hong Kong Cup is run over 2000m. It was first run in 1988 and was won by Flying Dancer.
The first running was over 1800m and for locals and horses from Singapore and Malaysia too. The Australians and New Zealanders followed.
It was known as the Hong Kong Invitation Cup then Hong Kong International Cup.
The Longines Hong Kong Cup became a Group 3 from 1993 then Group 2 after that until 1999 when it was renamed the Hong Kong Cup and was given Group 1 status.
Most wins by a Trainer (3): Tony Cruz, Danny Shum.
Most wins by a Jockey (3): Frankie Dettori, James McDonald.
Two three year olds have won the Longines Hong Kong Cup – both Northern Hemisphere 3yos. They are Alexander Goldrun and Snow Fairy.
Romantic Warrior took over from California Memory as the winningest horse with three Longines Hong Kong Cups.
Before the race truly became international Australian horses won and they were not the elite G1 horses either.
Grey Invader and Kessem were good solid kiwi stakes horses who won. Then Romanee Conti won in 1992. She was Group 1 placed but her claim to fame is being the dam of the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne mare Ethereal.
In 1994 State Taj won with Damien Oliver aboard and is the only Australian winner.
One of the best winners was Snow Fairy. She was six time G1 winner over four different countries.
The Japanese have been to the fore with recent wins by A Shin Hikari and then the champion Maurice who ended his career in grand style.
Win Bright added to his QEII Cup win in April by taking the big Cup double in 2019. He was one of three HKIR winners from Japan on the day. Normcore backed that up a year later running a fast 2:00.50 and then Loves Only You ended her international career with a fighting win in 2021.
Glorious Forever was one of Hong Kong's four home trained winners on International Day 2018.
Romantic Warrior had come off winning the Cox Plate and won the 2023 edition here by a near similar margin. He'd have great global appeal afterwards too. He won it for a record third time in 2024 earning the most prizemoney in history.
The Longines Hong Kong Cup was worth HK$40m in 2025.
Notable winners of the Longines Hong Kong Cup include Romantic Warrior (2022/2023/2024), Loves Only You (2021), Normcore (2020), Win Bright (2019), Maurice (2016), A Shin Hikari (2015), Designs On Rome (2014), Akeed Mofeed (2013), California Memory (2011/2012), Snow Fairy (2010), Vision d'Etat (2009), Eagle Mountain (2008), Vengeance Of Rain (2005), Falbrav (2003), Fantastic Light (2000), Jim And Tonic (1999), Romanee Conti (1992) and River Verdon (1992).
The 2024 Longines Hong Kong Cup was won by Romantic Warrior from Liberty Island and Tastiera.
Previous Longines Hong Kong Cup Winners
| Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
ROMANTIC WARRIOR
(IRE)
7G ACCLAMATION (GB) - FOLK MELODY (IRE) STREET CRY (IRE) |
JAMES MCDONALD | 57.0 | C S SHUM | 2 |
|
|
ROMANTIC WARRIOR
(IRE)
6G ACCLAMATION (GB) - FOLK MELODY (IRE) STREET CRY (IRE) |
JAMES MCDONALD | 57.0 | C S SHUM | 1 |
|
|
ROMANTIC WARRIOR
(IRE)
5G ACCLAMATION (GB) - FOLK MELODY (IRE) STREET CRY (IRE) |
JAMES MCDONALD | 57.0 | C S SHUM | 7 |
|
|
ROMANTIC WARRIOR
(IRE)
3G ACCLAMATION (GB) - FOLK MELODY (IRE) STREET CRY (IRE) |
JAMES MCDONALD | 57.0 | C S SHUM | 7 |
|
|
LOVES ONLY YOU
(JPN)
5M DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - LOVES ONLY ME (USA) STORM CAT (USA) |
YUGA KAWADA | 55.5 | Y YAHAGI | 4 |
|
|
NORMCORE
(JPN)
5M HARBINGER (GB) - CHRONOLOGIST (JPN) KUROFUNE (USA) |
Z PURTON | 55.5 | K HAGIWARA | 3 |
|
|
WIN BRIGHT
(JPN)
5H STAY GOLD (JPN) - SUMMER ETERNITY (JPN) ADMIRE COZZENE (JPN) |
MASAMI MATSUOKA | 57.0 | Y HATAKEYAMA | 8 |
|
|
GLORIOUS FOREVER
(GB)
4G ARCHIPENKO (USA) - HERE TO ETERNITY (USA) STORMY ATLANTIC (USA) |
SILVESTRE DE SOUSA | 57.0 | F C LOR | 1 |
|
|
TIME WARP
(GB)
4H ARCHIPENKO (USA) - HERE TO ETERNITY (USA) STORMY ATLANTIC (USA) |
Z PURTON | 57.0 | A S CRUZ | 5 |
|
|
MAURICE
(JPN)
5H SCREEN HERO (JPN) - MEJIRO FRANCES (JPN) CARNEGIE (IRE) |
RYAN MOORE | 57.0 | N HORI | 8 |
|
|
A SHIN HIKARI
(JPN)
4H DEEP IMPACT (JPN) - CATALINA (USA) STORM CAT (USA) |
YUTAKA TAKE | 57.0 | M SAKAGUCHI | 11 |
|
|
DESIGNS ON ROME
(IRE)
4G HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR (IRE) - SUMMER TRYSTING (USA) ALLEGED (USA) |
JOAO MOREIRA | 57.0 | JOHN MOORE | 3 |
|
|
AKEED MOFEED
(GB)
4H DUBAWI (IRE) - WONDER WHY (GER) TIGER HILL (IRE) |
D WHYTE | 57.0 | R GIBSON | 1 |
|
|
CALIFORNIA MEMORY
(USA)
6G HIGHEST HONOR (FR) - KALPITA (USA) SPINNING WORLD (USA) |
MATTHEW CHADWICK | 57.0 | A S CRUZ | 1 |
|
|
CALIFORNIA MEMORY
(USA)
5G HIGHEST HONOR (FR) - KALPITA (USA) SPINNING WORLD (USA) |
MATTHEW CHADWICK | 57.0 | A S CRUZ | 1 |
|
|
SNOW FAIRY
(IRE)
3F INTIKHAB (USA) - WOODLAND DREAM (IRE) CHARNWOOD FOREST (IRE) |
RYAN MOORE | 54.0 | ED DUNLOP | 8 |
|
|
VISION D'ETAT
(FR)
4H CHICHICASTENANGO (FR) - UBERABA (FR) GARDE ROYALE (IRE) |
O PESLIER | 58.0 | E LIBAUD | 7 |
|
|
EAGLE MOUNTAIN
(GB)
4G ROCK OF GIBRALTAR (IRE) - MASSKANA (IRE) DARSHAAN (GB) |
KEVIN SHEA | 58.0 | M F DE KOCK | 5 |
|
|
RAMONTI
(FR)
5M MARTINO ALONSO (IRE) - FOSCA (USA) EL GRAN SENOR (USA) |
LANFRANCO DETTORI | 58.0 | SAEED BIN SUROOR | 4 |
|
|
PRIDE
(FR)
6M PEINTRE CELEBRE (USA) - SPECIFICITY (USA) ALLEGED (USA) |
C P LEMAIRE | 56.0 | A DE ROYER DUPRE | 9 |
|
|
VENGEANCE OF RAIN
(NZ)
5G ZABEEL (NZ) - DANELAGH (AUS) DANEHILL (USA) |
ANTHONY DELPECH | 58.0 | D E FERRARIS | 4 |
|
|
ALEXANDER GOLDRUN
(IRE)
3F GOLD AWAY (IRE) - RENASHAAN (FR) DARSHAAN (GB) |
K J MANNING | 54.5 | J S BOLGER | 12 |
|
|
FALBRAV
(IRE)
5H FAIRY KING (USA) - GIFT OF THE NIGHT (USA) SLEWPY (USA) |
LANFRANCO DETTORI | 58.0 | L M CUMANI | 5 |
|
|
PRECISION
(FR)
4H ANABAA (USA) - |
M KINANE | 58.0 | D OUGHTON | 12 |
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There will be another Eustace among the names for Sha Tin’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on Sunday (14 December) once again with David’s brother Harry hoping for a more prominent showing from his stable star Docklands.
The big one is the Longines Hong Kong Cup run at Sha Tin on Sunday.
