Classic Series has just got more interesting with prime Numbers

Little Paradise fired the first shot in the Four-year-old Classic Series with a blistering Hong Kong Classic Mile win last week, but yesterday at Sha Tin, Numbers answered.

Numbers put the 2026 Classic Series aspirants on notice when he rolled to the front against older horses and turned the Group 3 Centenary Vase (1,800 meters) into a sparkling audition for the 2026 BMW Hong Kong Derby. 

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen's decision to bypass the Classic Mile suddenly looks like more than a clever bit of scheduling – yesterday’s win was a confidence- and form-boosting run that has turned the second leg of the Four-year-old Classic Series over the same course and distance on March 1 into a marquee match-up between two of Hong Kong’s most exciting young horses.

Numbers took control yesterday, but it wasn’t a cheap lead. Chancheng Glory shaded him through the first half-mile, Ensued then kept him honest and Derek Leung Ka-chun had to manage a horse that wanted to travel a touch strongly when the pressure first came. But once Leung persisted, Numbers didn’t just hold his ground – he owned the race from the half-mile with relentless sectionals. 

"He had a horse challenge him in the first half mile and he handled it quite well, traveled a little stronger, but nothing crazy, but he settled down really well," Leung said. "From there we just built his momentum – he is getting better fitness-wise, that is obvious, but mentally he is relaxing and that is the best way he is improving."

That front-running style should ensure there will be none of the stop-start, slow-tempo lotteries that can turn Classic Cups and Derbies into tricky contests. Numbers passed the eye test yesterday and the clock backed it up:  one minute, 46.36 seconds – slick for 1,800m – and he did it with the kind of controlled speed most of his potential Derby rivals can only dream of. From the 800m mark he reeled off 200m sections of 11.56 seconds, 11.59, 11.35 and 12.01, kicking clear of the early challengers and holding off the late closer Speed Dragon by two lengths.

Yes, it was a small field. Yes, he was supposed to win as an odds-on favorite with 117 pounds. But it’s still rare for a four-year-old with Derby ambitions to step into a Group race against older horses at this stage – and rarer still to beat hardened veterans while dictating the tempo and coming home in fast time. 
Numbers did both, then showed the kind of recovery that matters with a view to the upcoming Classic Cup and Derby. 

“He had a tough run – the first half mile he had to work and then after the 800m he handled himself – he had a big blow after the race but you could see the way he looked when he came back. After 30 seconds he had recovered – that is a very good sign – he seemed to take the run very well,” Leung said.

Lor, who has kept the Derby front of mind since importing Numbers – a horse that likely cost in the vicinity of HK$10 million (HK$78 million) as a Queensland Derby runner-up – sees the same weapon that made him attractive in the first place.

“In Australia he showed that ability – to lead or to sit close to speed,” Lor said. “The next steps are the Classic Cup and the Derby. You can see in Australia he already had the 2,000m form and even further so the distance won’t be a problem for him.”

That stamina is what turns a tidy Group 3 win into a statement. Little Paradise is still the rightful early Derby favorite – he was dazzling at a mile, but he has never been asked to stretch beyond it. Numbers ran 1,800m in fast time, on the lead, under pressure and looked like he could do more.

“He is ready for the big races,” Leung said. “He is very honest and straightforward, he can lead but if somebody wants to go faster then he can sit second or third ... He did a very good job. He jumped well, listened to me and then just relaxed – a very good sign for the Classic Cup and the Derby.”