The Hong Kong Classic Cup will continue the re-emergence of South African horses here on a weekend when the South African Classic could contain some 2026 Hong Kong Derby contenders.
The Classic Cup at Sha Tin features established four-year-olds, mostly sourced from Australia and New Zealand, but there is one horse who will be making his first start here. Mondial, a three-time winner in Johannesburg, will attempt to emulate Singapore Sling as a South African-bred to take out the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series.
He is one of a handful of South Africans stepping out in Hong Kong now that quarantine restrictions are far less rigid than they have been for the last 13 years.
The presence of the highly infectious African horse sickness saw countries around the world put up difficult requirements for South African horses to travel abroad. At its peak, it required 180 days of quarantine - of which 90 days were spent in Mauritius - and horses were unable to be trained properly during this period.
Now, direct imports to the European Union are in place after a period of pre-export quarantine - similar to what is in place in Australia - while the time required to get to Hong Kong is down to 45 days from stable to stable.
A limited number of South African horses continued to come and race here during the era of tough requirements, but with the new protocols introduced last year, South African horses are again an attractive prospect for local owners. Particularly so given the power of the Hong Kong dollar against the South African rand, which means buying a potential Four-Year-Old Classic Series starter requires significantly less money than acquiring a similar horse out of Australia or New Zealand.
Mondial has joined the stable of David Hayes for owners James Lau and Alice Woo, who also have another South African four-year-old, Mid Winter Wind. He was brilliant on debut last month for Mark Newnham but is being kept to sprint trips instead of taking the Classic Series route.
Lau and Woo were early adopters of South African bloodstock. Their best horse was Cerise Cherry, a Group 1 sprinter who led the chasing pack behind Lord Kanaloa when second in the 2012 Hong Kong Sprint.
A year ago, Mondial finished seventh in the G1 South African Classic (1,800 meters). He is the first horse out of the South African Classic to come to Hong Kong since 2018 winner Lobo's Legend; while Lobo's Legend suffered a setback that ruled him out of the four-year-old races, he did figure in Class 2 for the majority of his time here.
Tomorrow, hours before the Classic Cup is run, the South African Classic will be staged at Johannesburg's Turffontein Racecourse, one of three Group 1 races on the program. The card serves as the primary lead-in to the South African Derby meeting, a World Pool fixture on March 29.
Generally, the best three-year-olds are seen in Cape Town; Eight On Eighteen is currently the top star.
Still, a three-year-old who is able to perform at the highest level over 1,800m is one who should automatically appear on the radar of any prospective buyers ahead of the 2026 Four-Year-Old Classic Series.
Perhaps one to monitor is outsider Grey Jet, the most lightly-raced horse in the field. A son of 2015 Hong Kong Mile runner Danon Platina, he will be the first-ever Group 1 runner for trainer Weichong Marwing, formerly a long-time Hong Kong-based jockey.
Marwing could never quite get that Hong Kong Classic Cup victory, finishing a nose second on Sweet Orange behind Zaidan in 2012. He did win a South African Classic though aboard the brilliant Horse Chestnut.
Andrew Hawkins, Idolhorse.com
