Last start Jockey Club Mile winner Seasons Bloom is tipped to continue his winning form with the Australian-bred five-year-old heading Hong Kong Mile 2017 betting for the big one at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday.
Jockey Zac Purton rides reigning Hong Kong Mile champion Beauty Only in the 2017 edition this Sunday at Sha Tin. Photo: Daniel Costello.
Danny C.S. Shum saddles-up the favourite in this year’s The Longines Mile Hong Kong Mile (1600m) field with Seasons Bloom leading the markets at Ladbrokes.com.au at $3.75.
A son of Captain Sonador, Seasons Bloom has won three of his past four starts going back to June including at the track distance with the ‘Magic Man’ Joao Moreira aboard on November 19 in the traditional lead-up race.
He looks on a big hope to win a second Hong Kong Mile trophy however after success aboard Able Friend for John Moore back in 2014.
The reigning Hong Kong Mile winner Beauty Only ($6) occupies the second line of betting this season to go back-to-back in the classic for trainer Tony Cruz.
Zac Purton continues his association with the six-year-old Holy Roman Emperor who has amassed over HK$39 million in stakes over his career.
It has been a while between drinks for Beauty Only however, the galloper not having won a race since last year’s Hong Kong Mile.
He was last seen running fourth to Seasons Bloom in the Jockey Club Mile and if he can turn the tables, will become just the second multiple Hong Kong Mile winner along with three-time champion Good Ba Ba (2007-09).
The other best in Hong Kong Mile betting this summer are the John Moore-trained Jockey Club Mile runner-up Helene Paragon ($7) who was runner-up to Beauty Only in the race 12 months ago, his stablemate Beauty Generation ($8) coming off a lead-up third in the same Group 2 event and Japanese raider Satono Aladdin ($8).
Moore won the race with the aforementioned Able Friend (2014) and is back this year with a total of three runners also saddling-up last year’s third placegetter Joyful Trinity ($34).
As for the visiting Satono Aladdin, the well-bred Japanese stallion is off to stud after the Hong Kong Mile with the Yasutoshi Ikee-trained galloper chasing a final Group 1 win in his career swansong.
“I think 1,600m is his best distance,” Ikee told the South China Morning Post.
“We tried 3,000m early but at that time we didn’t know his best distance range.”
Satono Aladdin ran unplaced in the Hong Kong Cup of 2015 with James McDonald in the saddle, before a luckless seventh in last year’s Hong Kong Mile results that he is out to atone for this weekend with Hugh Bowman jumping aboard.
Check out the full Hong Kong Mile 2017 betting odds and options online this weekend through Ladbrokes.com.au.
