GLORIIOUS is a powerfully-emerging force in the mile ranks, and John Size’s big hope for December’s Longines Hong Kong International Races is all set to make his seasonal return alongside stable mate and Hong Kong Derby hero Fay Fay in Sunday’s (28 October) HKG2 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy (Handicap).

Hong Kong’s champion trainer pitches his talented duo into a stellar renewal of the 1600m contest, one that also features Hong Kong’s brilliant Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon – set to shoulder top-weight of 133lbs – and two-time G1 Champions Mile victor Xtension (130lbs) among the 14 entries.

Without a previous outing this term, both Glorious Days (129lbs) and Fay Fay (117lbs) pleased in a recent 1200m barrier trial on dirt at Sha Tin. Glorious Days oozed class that morning as he passed the post in front under champion jockey Douglas Whyte, while Fay Fay eased through from the tail to finish an eye-catching fourth.  

“I’m pleased with how both horses trialled last week,” said Size, who is seeking a first win in the race. “They’re completely different types of horses in training and in trials but they come together on the racetrack.”

Glorious Days progressed last term through four straight wins in lesser grade to emerge as a serious player in the mile division. Three runner-up finishes in Pattern company followed that win streak, the last of those being a close second to Xtension in the G1 Champions Mile. His latest start came on 3 June when he failed to show his running in the G1 Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse.  

“Glorious Days came back from Japan and had a good spell, and that travelling did him no harm,” revealed Size. “I’m pleased with how his preparations have been going for Sunday and after that we’ll be looking to go to the trials day in November with him – if all goes well, he’s definitely a horse that has what it takes to be competitive in December.

“Fay Fay is a horse with a much lower rating right now so where he goes depends on how he performs.”

Oriental Watch is sponsoring the Sha Tin Trophy for the first time this season and has been rewarded with a fantastic renewal.  Also among the 14 runners are last year’s G1 Hong Kong Cup hero California Memory (130lbs), Hong Kong’s reigning Champion Stayer Liberator (119lbs) and G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup runner-up Zaidan (121lbs).

The Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy is an early test on the road to the Longines Hong Kong International Races – the Turf World Championships. Staged at Sha Tin on 9 December, the Longines HKIR features the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m), the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile (1600m), the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m).  

As an exciting pointer to December’s main event, the Sha Tin race meeting on 18 November stages three trials for the Longines Hong Kong International Races – the G2 Longines Jockey Club Cup (2000m), the G2 Jockey Club Mile (1600m) and the G2 Jockey Club Sprint (1200m).

HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB MEDIA RELEASE