Hong Kong’s Greatest International Moments – Through an Australian Lens

Kristen Manning

Editor

Last updated: Fri 12 Dec 2025 04:20

Kristen Manning 12 Dec 2025

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Hong Kong racing has witnessed iconic performances by gallopers like Sunline, Falvelon, and Golden Sixty
Sunline's thrilling win over Fairy King Prawn and Falvelon's double triumph in the Hong Kong Sprint are standout events
Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior continue the legacy with remarkable achievements, cementing their place in racing history

Golden Sixty, ridden by Vincent Ho, storms to victory in the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile at the 2023 Hong Kong International Races. (Getty)

Hong Kong’s international meeting has long produced some of racing’s most memorable performances, and with Sunday approaching it feels timely to reflect on its biggest moments.

Sunline vs Fairy King Prawn
Fabulous Falvelon
Three Miles for Golden Sixty
Silent Witness Stuns
A Trio of Cups for Romantic Warrior

From iconic clashes to breakout stars, the event has consistently highlighted the impact of Australian-bred and Australian-linked gallopers, whose feats — from Sunline’s famous duel to the exploits of Falvelon, Silent Witness and Golden Sixty — have helped shape the history of Hong Kong’s premier raceday.

Sunline vs Fairy King Prawn

Perhaps leaving a bit on the track when putting in a strong gallop days before contesting her first international event, the champion Sunline was out of the placings in the 1999 Hong Kong International Cup won by the grand globe-trotter Jim And Tonic.

She was in stellar form upon her return, winning eight of her next ten starts (runner-up in the other two), including her second W.S. Cox Plate.

A freshen with a 1400m win in Group 2 company back home in New Zealand saw the great mare head for Hong Kong for a second time in 2000, this time contesting the shorter Hong Kong International Mile.

The race was promoted as a match between Sunline and the local hero Fairy King Prawn (an Australian-bred Danehill half-brother to Easy Rocking), and so popular was he that chants of “PRAWN PRAWN PRAWN” reverberated around the course as he began his run in the straight, trying to run down the mighty mare who had travelled so well in front.

David Raphael was the caller that day: “It’s Sunline in front, Fairy King the horse of Hong Kong coming after the mare of the world... the Kiwi pulling out stops, Fairy King Prawn lifts... Fairy King Prawn dives but he misses.”

“What a race... this was Muhammad Ali–Frazier stuff!”

Fabulous Falvelon

A tough, fast and gutsy performer still enjoying life in retirement at age 29 at Glenlogan Park Stud, where he stood 21 seasons at stud, Falvelon contested three consecutive runnings of the Hong Kong International Sprint and was brave in all of them.

What a day his first trip was for Australasian racing fans — Sunline winning the Mile (a race also contested by Adam, who ran a game third, and by Testa Rossa), and Falvelon taking the first of his two Sha Tin successes.

For its first six runnings the race was contested over 1000m down the straight, and in 2000 its second edition (the first won by Fairy King Prawn) saw Falvelon drift back in running, Damien Oliver patient as he picked up ground through the field.

With 200m to go there looked to be a few chances, but Falvelon was gaining momentum and had his head out right where it counted in the Group 3 contest.

He was back a year later for the upgrade to Group 2, his win similar in style with the same horse, the American Morluc, finishing second.

Third on that day was the David Hayes-trained All Thrills Too, an Australian-bred St Covet gelding who had won his first start on the same day Falvelon and Sunline won in 2000.

He continued to improve, turning the tables on Falvelon in the big sprint in 2002, the first time it was run at Group 1 level.

Known around the Danny Bougoure stables as “Rocket,” Falvelon was raced by his breeders with a group of mates who drank together at their local pub, with one of those owners living next door to Bougoure’s parents.

Remembering his arrival, Danny laughed as he recalled two horses stepping off the truck that morning — one a “tall, sleek classic-looking horse” who ended up showing little, whilst Falvelon was “small and round” with riders fighting over the former!

Showing ability from his first gallop, Falvelon had Bougoure excited early — after the first jump-out uttering the words “I think I have found my champion.”

It was not smooth sailing for his first Hong Kong trip, with the required inoculations knocking him around, but he quickly bounced back and “travelled exceptionally well.”

He settled in nicely too, with Oliver “ecstatic and barely able to contain his excitement” after his final Sha Tin gallop.

Bougoure remembers the pride he felt as “a young trainer standing with the connections on the podium for the presentations with the Australian National Anthem playing.”

The following year, with the trainer of Morluc boasting that he would have the better of him this time, one of Falvelon’s owners, Arnie Kelly, declared that should he win he would marry his girlfriend — “true to his word he fronted up at the jewellers and bought the rings!”

“What made him great was his ability, his attitude and soundness,” Bougoure said of Falvelon. “He was raised in a big paddock with terrain so rough you could only access it via four-wheel drive. He was as tough as hell, sensible and honest.”

“No other Australian-trained horse has won the Hong Kong Sprint, which is an outstanding fact given that arguably we have the best sprinters in the world.”

Three Miles for Golden Sixty

Three times crowned Hong Kong Horse Of The Year, Golden Sixty trialled in New Zealand having been born in Australia, bred in Queensland by Asco International (Element Hill).

That stud’s Hutchins family — who also bred Australian Horse Of The Year Typhoon Tracy — sold Golden Sixty as a yearling for $120,000 at the 2017 Magic Millions.

Purchased as a pin-hooking prospect by Riversley Park/Enigma Farm, he was again in the ring at the 2017 Karaka Ready To Run Sale, where he caught the eye of trainer Francis Lui, who secured him for $300,000.

The winner of 26 of his 31 starts, including three non-consecutive runnings of the Hong Kong International Mile (2020, 2021 and 2023; second in 2022), Golden Sixty retired last year and now lives at the Northern Horse Park in Hokkaido, Japan.

Silent Witness Stuns

The author was at Sha Tin one morning, watching a few trials, when a horse flashed past so quickly that I was left wondering just what I had seen.

The horse was Silent Witness.

Until Ka Ying Rising came along, he was always the answer to the question: “Who is the best sprinter to have raced in Hong Kong?”

Bred by Ian Smith at Edinburgh Park Stud in New South Wales, the now 26-year-old made his way back to Australia once retired and is a popular resident at Living Legends, where Hong Kong racing fans pay regular homage.

Under the name Eltira, Silent Witness was first seen winning a Ballarat trial for the David Hall stable in August 2002, Patrick Payne aboard. Later that year he debuted at Sha Tin, winning over 1000m and not tasting defeat until May 2005.

The winner of 17 consecutive races, he attracted a cult following, appearing on the front cover of an international edition of Time magazine, whilst his statue now stands proudly in front of the Sha Tin grandstand.

A son of the American-bred El Moxie, who stood in Tasmania and Victoria, Silent Witness won the Hong Kong International Sprint in 2003 and 2004, below his best when second to Absolute Champion in 2005.

His connections were happy to take risks, venturing overseas (winning the Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama) and trying him over more ground (second to Bullish Luck over a mile in the Champions Mile and third in the Yasuda Kinen).

A Trio of Cups for Romantic Warrior

Whilst there is nothing Australian about Romantic Warrior, local racegoers have been lucky enough to see him in action — the Irish-bred gelding making his first trip away from Hong Kong in the spring of 2023.

Sent out favourite in the Turnbull Stakes, the bay raced keenly and, for only the second time in his career, was out of the placings, though hardly disgraced finishing fourth behind Gold Trip.

Deriving great benefit from that run, Romantic Warrior headed to Moonee Valley, where he was again the most favoured runner — always travelling well for his regular partner James McDonald as he put his nose in front of Mr Brightside to write his name in W.S. Cox Plate history.

Racing ten times since, Romantic Warrior has won eight (seconds in feature events in Saudi Arabia and Dubai) and has also undergone fetlock surgery.

On the back of that he is favourite on Sunday to become the first four-time winner of the Hong Kong International Cup, with McDonald telling the HKJC that the seven-year-old “is oozing confidence.”

“He has always been a happy horse in his work; he loves it and he is bubbling with confidence, that’s for sure.”