Hong Kong Mile race preview & best bets | Sunday 11/12/2022

What	2022 Hong Kong Mile
Where	Sha Tin Racecourse – Tai Po Rd, Sha Tin District, Hong Kong
When	Sunday, December 11, 2022 \| 4:00pm HKT (7:00pm AEDT) \| Race 7
Prizemoney	HK$30,000,000
Distance	1600m
Status	Group 1
Conditions	Weight For Age
2021 Winner	Golden Sixty (2) \| T: Francis Lui \| J: Vincent Ho (57kg)
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It’s an outstanding edition of this year’s Hong Kong Mile with back-to-back winner Golden Sixty trying to replicate the feat of Good Ba Ba (2007-2009) to win three in a row. The 1600m contest sees a field of 10 with nine of the runners looking to spoil the party for one of the world’s best. Six Hong Kong gallopers are set to line up, as well as three Japanese with the lone Australian Annabel Neasham-trained Laws Of Indices making the trip.

The Hong Kong champion horse Golden Sixty has opened a clear favourite for this one with online bookmakers at $1.50 as Vincent Ho and Francis Lui combine again. California Spangle isn’t without his admirers either at around $4.50, then you’re getting double figure odds for all other runners with Schnell Meister ($11) and Salios ($14) the best of the market hopes for the Japanese.

California Spangle and Zac Purton will be the clear leader in the race here, they’ll look to steal some early sectionals as they did in the Jockey Club Mile before trying to pinch a break on the well-drawn favourite Golden Sixty (barrier four) who looks to map perfectly here. Schnell Meister (barrier one) should slot in behind while Beauty Joy (barrier five) and Danon Scorpion (barrier six) can find their positions somewhere midfield.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s preview and $100 betting strategy for the 2022 Hong Kong Mile.

Golden Sixty is the fair favourite and clearly must go on top in the Hong Kong Mile but is unbackable at the extremely short quote. His win first-up in the Jockey Club Mile was breathtaking when storming past California Spangle on what looked an impossible tempo to sprint off, Golden Sixty finished the race with the fastest closing sectional of the day running 21:32s. To put that in perspective, Hong Kong Sprint favourite Lucky Sweynesse ran a 21:88s closing sectional on the same day over a sprinting trip. To say it was a special performance first-up would be an understatement, and from an uncompromising barrier on Sunday you’d have to think if jockey Vincent Ho can find a spot better than midfield turning for home. It is going to take a special performance to chase him down and prevent him from collecting his third win in this great race.

The only horse we want to be having something small on a win line to beat the favourite is Tezuka Takahisa-trained four-year-old Schnell Meister. We’re getting a nice price to back him on the each-way so we’re happy to make him the betting strategy in the race. He looks the best hope of the Japanese runners here and has drawn the perfect gate to be beating home his country rivals again after running fifth in the Mile Championship at Hanshin on November 20. He, Salios and Danon Scorpion all come from that same form-line when beaten by Serifos, however, it was Schnell Meister who was an unlucky beaten favourite on that occasion that found the most trouble when getting too far back in the run and bumping horses when trying to get clear. Once he did find fresh air, he flew home late and should’ve been at least finding the frame. If he can hold his form coming to Hong Kong for the first time, he’s a cracking chance to run into minor money with Christophe Lemaire taking the reins again here. He’ll get leaders back the trip and get every chance to beat the champion if good enough.

California Spangle warrants respect and should have a good time up on speed all to his own, however, he finds his toughest task to date. While a win wouldn’t shock, it’s hard to see him holding off the likes of Golden Sixty when last start in the Jockey Club Mile looked his best chance to turn the tables on the champion horse.

Salios isn’t without a chance as well, barrier eight in the small field looked the biggest sticking point to us, but Ryan Moore is on and his best form when winning two starts back at Tokyo could see Salios find a placing as well.