Golden Sixty Overcomes Adversity For 12th Straight Win

The pin-up horse for New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale has delivered yet again, with Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro) overcoming plenty of adversity to extend his winning streak in Sunday’s HK$12m Group One Stewards’ Cup (1600m) at Sha Tin.

Bought for $300,000 by trainer Francis Lui from Riversley Park’s draft at the 2017 Ready to Run Sale, Golden Sixty has now won 12 races in a row dating back to 7 July 2019. He is a two-time winner at Group One level, having also captured last month’s HK$25m Hong Kong Mile (1600m). Overall, Golden Sixty has had 16 starts for 15 wins and HK$59.68m in stakes – the equivalent of NZ$10.72m, which is more than 35 times his purchase price at Karaka.

Golden Sixty’s dominant run of form made him the overwhelming favourite for Sunday’s feature, but he had to win it the hard way. The five-year-old had to come from second-last in a race run at a stop-start tempo, and then jockey Vincent Ho’s saddle slipped in the home straight.

But not even that could stop Golden Sixty, whose superiority shone through as he surged to victory by a head.

“They went pretty slow all the way, actually, so he was a little keen and he was pulling a little bit and then everyone sprinted home,” Ho said.

“Then the saddle slipped back a little bit at the 300 metres. It was still okay, but it was not as comfortable for me and Golden Sixty.

“But top athletes, top horses need to overcome all kind of different circumstances. Something you can’t predict, but you have to be ready for that.

“I knew I would still get there, but it was quite close.”

Golden Sixty is now closing in on the all-time Hong Kong record for consecutive victories, set by Silent Witness (El Moxie) with 17 wins in a row between 2002 and 2005.

“The winning streak doesn’t really build pressure,” Lui said. “Golden Sixty brings a lot of joy.”

Golden Sixty is raced by Stanley Chan Ka Leung.

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