Champion Digs Deep for Fourteen Straight

Hong Kong’s thoroughbred champion Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro-Gaudemus, by Distorted Humor) needed all the urgings from his rider, Vincent Ho, and the 5,719 in attendance at Sha Tin to secure Sunday’s Group 1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m). Recording his fourteenth consecutive win and fourth Group 1 in total, the world’s joint top-rated miler powered into the lead rounding the home turn but was made to sweat for his win by a fast-finishing More Than This (More Than Ready), ridden by Joao Moreira. “He has never been chased and we learnt today that he still can fight when something chases him, not just when he is doing the chasing, which is good,” Ho said of Golden Sixty who was expected to find the mile a lot easier than his most recent Group 1 win over 2000m. “That was amazing (to have a crowd), a big thanks to all the fans today who came out, it makes such a difference, the atmosphere and everything is so much different,” Ho commented. “It’s been a good season, seven races for Golden Sixty and I’m happy for him to win this, hopefully he will have a break now until next season, he had a couple of tough runs these past two.” Golden Sixty was originally a $120,000 yearling consigned by Element Hill at the 2017 Magic Millions National Sale before selling for $300,000 as a juvenile consigned by Riversley Park at the 2017 NZB Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs.