The Hong Kong Cup is a prestigious Group 1 international horse race held annually in December as part of the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) at Sha Tin Racecourse. It is the richest and most prestigious of the four Group 1 races on the day.
History
The race was first run in 1988 as the Hong Kong Invitational Cup, open to horses from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. Over the years, its international scope expanded to include horses from New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Japan, and the USA, becoming a truly global event. It was elevated to Group 1 status and renamed the Longines Hong Kong Cup, attracting top middle-distance horses from around the world. The distance was initially 1800m, but was changed to 2000m in 1999.
A recent highlight is Romantic Warrior, who won the race three consecutive times from 2022 to 2024, a record for the race and the most prizemoney in its history.
Below is a list of winners of the Longines Hong Kong Cup since 2010:
|
Year
|
Winner
|
Notes
|
|---|---|---|
|
2025
|
Romantic Warrior
|
Record fourth consecutive win
|
|
2024
|
Romantic Warrior
|
Third consecutive win
|
|
2023
|
Romantic Warrior
|
Second win
|
|
2022
|
Romantic Warrior
|
First of four wins
|
|
2021
|
Loves Only You (JPN)
|
|
|
2020
|
Normcore (JPN)
|
|
|
2019
|
Win Bright (JPN)
|
|
|
2018
|
Glorious Forever
|
|
|
2017
|
Time Warp
|
|
|
2016
|
Maurice (JPN)
|
|
|
2015
|
A Shin Hikari (JPN)
|
|
|
2014
|
Designs On Rome
|
|
|
2013
|
Akeed Mofeed
|
|
|
2012
|
California Memory
|
Second win
|
|
2011
|
California Memory
|
First repeat winner
|
|
2010
|
Snow Fairy (GB)
|
|
|
2009
|
Vision d’Etat (FR)
|
|
|
2008
|
Eagle Mountain (SAF)
|
|
|
2007
|
Ramonti (FR)
|
|
|
2006
|
Pride (FR)
|
|
|
2005
|
Vengeance Of Rain
|
|
|
2004
|
Alexander Goldrun (IRE)
|
|
|
2003
|
Falbrav (ITY)
|
|
|
2002
|
Precision (FR)
|
|
|
2001
|
Agnes Digital (JPN)
|
|
|
2000
|
Fantastic Light (USA)
|
|
|
1999
|
Jim And Tonic (FR)
|
First as an international G1
|
Earlier winners (pre-international G1 era) include notable horses like River Verdon and Romanee Conti (both 1993, shared or noted in some records), but the modern G1 era starts from 1999.Romantic Warrior (trained by Danny Shum, often ridden by James McDonald) holds the record with four consecutive victories (2022–2025), surpassing previous multiple winners California Memory (2011–2012). The race has seen strong international competition, particularly from Japan in recent years.
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