FWD Champions Day 2025 Preview
What is FWD Champions Day?
FWD Champions Day is one of Hong Kong’s most watched and highly anticipated racing events which is staged each year. It features three prestigious Group 1 races and has been hosted at Sha Tin racecourse since 1979.
The meeting includes the FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup, which has a prize pool of HK$25,000,000 over 2000 metres and is open to horses aged three and over. The FWD Champion’s Mile is contested for HK$24,000,000 over a 1600-metre trip, also for horses aged three and up.
The Chairman’s Sprint Prize has a purse of HK$20,000,000, and is raced over 1200 metres, again for horses aged three and older. The meeting is on April 27th, 2025, and you can expect to see plenty of Aussie jockey’s competing including Zac Purton, Hugh Bowman and Brenton Avdulla.
Previous Winners
Romantic Warrior has become the superstar in Hong Kong racing in recent years. In 2022, he claimed his first win in the FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup, with Karis Teetan in the saddle.
The following year, James McDonald took over the reins and steered the talented horse to another win in the QEII Cup before he also triumphed in the Cox Plate. In 2024, the gelding marked his name in history by completing a three-peat with James McDonald on board for trainer Danny Shum.
Beauty Generation
In recent years, the FWD Champion’s Mile has seen some stunning performances. In 2018 and 2019, the wonderful Beauty Generation went back-to-back, with Zac Purton on board for trainer John Moore. In 2020, Southern Legend scored with Vincent Ho in the saddle for trainer Caspar Fownes.
The next three years saw the very popular Golden Sixty shine, with Vincent Ho steering the horse to victory for trainer Francis Lui, solidifying the horse’s status as a true champion. In 2024, Beauty Eternal, trained by John Size and ridden by Zac Purton, emerged victorious, marking a fresh chapter in this prestigious race’s history.
Recent winners of the Chairman’s Sprint Cup feature Wellington in 2021 and 2022, trained by Richard Gibson and ridden by Alexis Badel. In 2023, Lucky Sweynesse ridden by Zac Purton, won the race before in 2024, Invincible Sage, trained by David Hall and ridden by Hugh Bowman, secured victory.
Odds for the Hong Kong Champions Mile 2025
With four wins on the spin, the 5-year-old mare Voyage Bubble has been installed as the $2 favourite with Mr Brightside a $4.50 chance to win it for Australia. My Wish is next in the market at $7 with Galaxy Patch and Lake Forest both at $12.
Tips for the Hong Kong Champions Mile 2025
The Pickabookie.com.au futures selection for the Hong Kong Champions Mile is the Mark Newnham-trained runner My Wish. The Aussie trainer has started well with his career in Hong Kong and after his runner My Wish finished second in the Hong Kong Derby over 2000m the step back to a mile could prove to be rewarding at $7.
Odds for the QE II Cup 2025
Liberty Island sits at the top of the betting in the futures market at $4.50 followed by Goliath at $5.50, Tastiera $6 along with Dubai Honour and Robylot $7 with the recent surprise winner of the Hong Kong Derby, Cap Ferrat all at $8.50.
Tips for the QE II Cup 2025
The Pickabookie.com.au futures selection for the QE II Cup 2025 is for Tastiera. This 3-year-old mare is from Japan and s trained by Noriyuki Hori, who is based at Hong Kong. At odds of about $6 and with strong form when first up and a liking for the 2000 metres this should see her very competitive at a decent price.
Odds for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize 2025
This race is all about one horse, the super star sprinter that is Ka Ying Rising. He is $1.20 and might well go off shorter than that on race day having won his last 11 races. The David Hayes-trained gelding is also, as you can read in the Everest Preview, favourite for that race too. Others in the market includes Satono Reve and Helios Express both at $9.50 with Lucky Sweynesse and Lucky With You both at $19.
Tips for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize
The Pickabookie.com.au futures selection for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize is to have a place bet on Lucky Sweynesse at about $4. With Ka Ying Rising being so short in the market he is definitely worth including in your multis on the day as the form clearly shows he is the best bet on the card.
Please remember to think before you bet. Stay in control, set limits, and seek support if gambling is no longer fun. Head to https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/ if you require help.