He's among the best in the world - so where is the love for Golden Sixty?
One of the top-ten racehorses in the world ran on Sunday according to last year’s World Racehorse Rankings. He won his 16th race from 17 starts, his third Group 1, and took his career earnings to £6,275,529 in the process. Don’t know who I’m talking about? You’re missing out.
Hot on the heels of the retirement of Beauty Generation, Hong Kong’s joint highest-rated horse, comes Golden Sixty.
A strong-travelling, hold-up horse with a penchant for recording eye-watering sectionals, he consistently mows down his rivals with a rare flair and his reputation hit new heights on Sunday in the Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin.
To give a brief background, like Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Talismanic and nine-time Grade 1 winner Songbird, Golden Sixty is a son of Medaglia d’Oro. As with so many Hong Kong imports, he was bred in Australia and arrived as an unraced three-year-old in October 2018.
He won three of his first four starts in 2019, with all of his wins coming over 6f, and began the following season over the same distance, progressing in handicaps to win the Group 3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup over 7f.
Next up was the lucrative four-year-old series comprising the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Classic Cup (1m1f) and Hong Kong Derby (1m2f) in 2020. The latter has been run since 1873 and is worth more than HK$24 million (£2,200,000) and to owners can often represent a superior achievement to winning at the International meeting in December.
Only the gifted but sadly ill-fated Rapper Dragon had previously managed to scoop all three races when he managed the feat in 2017, but Golden Sixty emulated him in now-trademark style when landing the Derby by a neck last March. It was a brilliant performance which perfectly encapsulated why he is so good.
He took his winning run to ten after three victories on his return to action in September, and graduated to open Group 1 company in style when winning the Hong Kong Mile in December before adding last month’s Stewards’ Cup.
His star remains on the rise and it shone brightly again in Sunday’s Hong Kong Gold Cup.
Back at a mile and a quarter – a trip he had tried just once before when successful in the Derby – and the victim of a stop-start pace, Golden Sixty was confidently ridden by regular jockey Vincent Ho to make smooth headway five-wide at the top of the straight before battling past Furore in an epic stretch run to prevail by a short head.
With the Stewards’ Cup and Gold Cup, the first two legs of the Hong Kong Triple Crown, in the bag he has just the Champions & Chater Cup to come in April, meaning he is bearing down on River Verdon, the sole horse to complete the feat in 1994. Plus it is entirely possible we haven’t yet seen what Golden Sixty is truly capable of. Several of his races haven’t been run to suit, yet like all champions, he has managed to overcome adversity every time.
The ratings (currently on 131 in Hong Kong) suggest he is climbing ever closer to a peak Beauty Generation (138), and he is already hot on the heels of what that horse achieved when winning eight races in a season in 2018-19. He also only needs four more wins to match the legendary sprinter Silent Witness, who won 17 on the bounce from 2002 to 2005.
In 2020, he was ranked better than Enable, Magical, Battaash, Love, Sottsass and Tarnawa. International racing is hugely popular and Flat racing fans have digested several Meydan fixtures and the Saudi Cup card in recent weeks – so where is the love over here for Golden Sixty, and what will it take for him to get the credit he deserves?
Double Shuffle can take Close Brothers spoils
Double Shuffle
3.35 Kempton, Saturday
1pt win at 8-1
Hometown Boy
1.15 Kempton, Saturday
1pt win
With two entries, Tom George looks set to hold a strong hand in Saturday’s Close Brothers Handicap Chase (3.35) at Kempton.
George’s Clondaw Castle is hugely reliable and has recorded form figures of 2132 this season, including two solid efforts in Graded company in the rescheduled Peterborough Chase and the Silviniaco Conti Chase at this track last time.
Rocky Creek won this race off a mark of 154 in 2015, and Clondaw Castle will bid to do the same, but it is still a big ask and I am not convinced three miles is what he wants, even on this flat track.
One who will thrive in conditions is his stablemate Double Shuffle, who got back to winning ways over course and distance last time. He was making heavy weather of it when Ami Desbois made a significant error at the final fence, but even his third to Royal Pagaille reads well in the context of this race and he has plenty of good form at the track.
Seventh off a 5lb higher rating in a much deeper edition last year, he was a rallying second in 2019 and 2017 off 9lb and 4lb higher marks respectively. He easily won a similar race off 2lb lower in 2016 and has been second and fifth in two King Georges.
He has run without a hood the last twice, which seems to have helped revitalise him, and it’s difficult to find an up-and-comer in this race who has wiggle room from their mark. George trained Nacarat to win this race as an 11-year-old in 2012 off a much higher mark and Double Shuffle has a very similar profile.
Elsewhere on the card, I can’t resist tipping Hometown Boy to win the 2m5f handicap hurdle (1.15). He was mentioned in this column last week but once again didn’t make it to the track, and it could be that connections were saving him for this.
He wasn’t far behind Betfair Hurdle winner Soaring Glory in a bumper in October 2019, and then finished third to Espoir De Romay (now rated 140 and still well handicapped over fences) and subsequent Dovecote second West Cork (139), with Kalooki (145) in behind.
Hometown Boy acquitted himself admirably behind McFabulous after that, finishing just three and a half lengths behind when giving him 6lb in a novice hurdle at Market Rasen, and then finishing seventh off this mark (130) in a very good edition of the rescheduled EBF final.
The fact he keeps getting entered suggests he is ready to run, and given he doesn’t have any other options this week Saturday could finally be the day.
Playle's nap
Eamon An Cnoic
1.55 Chepstow, Thursday
Upturn in stable form has meant he has turned the corner back over hurdles. He was second to an incredibly well handicapped horse over slightly further at this track in November and then bolted up at Sandown last Wednesday. He runs here off the same mark, so he is effectively 11lb well in, while his chase mark is still 2lb higher too. Grumpy Charley has been progressive but shouldn't be good enough to beat him on these terms.
Playle's lay
Interconnected
12.30 Huntingdon, Thursday
Has had a number of problems since finishing second to Emitom in a Newbury novice hurdle in March 2019. He sustained an injury and has also undergone wind surgery, meaning there is sufficient reason to take him on at what is likely to be a very short price. Plenty of his rivals are entitled to improve and I wouldn't expect Interconnected to be cherry ripe for this return. He comes with risks attached.
Read more from Maddy Playle:
Festival handicaps could be on the agenda for Sempo
Wedge and Frost comments show where racing must progress
The veterans' series is a monumental success – and it is vital it stays as it is
No allowance needed: why a 25-1 shot should be added to your ante-post portfolio
Yorkhill transformation a feat which deserves joyous celebration
Arkle dark horse has what it takes to tackle red-hot Shishkin
If racing is to develop it's vital it listens to those who speak out on race
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