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Gearing Up to G1 Glory
Leo Schlink reflects on the upcoming Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup
15 May 2025
By Leo Schlink
As the final Group 1 contest of Hong Kong’s horseracing season, the HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) occupies a special place on the city’s sporting landscape.
Until last season, the 12-furlong test of stamina and courage had resided permanently within the grasp of local greats, notably four-time victor River Verdon (翠河) and fellow multiple winners Viva Pataca (爆冷), Indigenous (原居民), Oriental Express (奔騰), Blazing Speed (將男), Exultant (時時精綵) and Russian Emperor (將王).
Rebel’s Romance (桀驁之戀), Godolphin’s hardy globetrotter changed all of that last May with an emphatic victory in the 2024 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup for Charlie Appleby and William Buick with a facile performance.
Caption: William Buick drives Rebel’s Romance clear in the 2024 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup
Horse racing is rarely renowned for incident-free perfection but Rebel’s Romance encountered exactly that under a sublime ride from Buick to comfortably account for the Tony Cruz pair Five G Patch (錶之五知) and La City Blanche (當年情) to become the first overseas winner of the race.
For Appleby, Group 1 success in a fourth separate racing jurisdiction aligned precisely with Godolphin’s world view of the sport.
“I’m delighted for Sheikh Mohammed and Team Godolphin to have this horse travel the way he has. He’s been to America, he’s been to Qatar, Dubai, Germany and now Hong Kong. [It] has always been on our bucket list to try and win a race here and we’re delighted to have the right horse,” Appleby said.
Caption: Winning connections of Rebel’s Romance
“Having the right horse in Rebel’s Romance, we felt he was a horse we could be competitive with and hopefully in the near future, for sure, we’ll be looking forward to finding horses to coming over here.
“He’s a gelded son of Dubawi (杜拜威), he loves his travels. He’s a professional now and he’s done plenty of travelling now. He prefers to be on a plane than actually in his stable.
“The whole concept of Godolphin was built on being an international stable and hopefully dining at the top table as fortunately as we are today. Hong Kong racing is one of the pinnacles of racing and to come here, you have to have the right horse.”
Buick, who is a regular in Hong Kong, summed up Rebel’s Romance as a “real international superstar.”
The 2025 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup will be run at Sha Tin Racecourse on 25 May.
As the final Group 1 contest of Hong Kong’s horseracing season, the HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) occupies a special place on the city’s sporting landscape.
Until last season, the 12-furlong test of stamina and courage had resided permanently within the grasp of local greats, notably four-time victor River Verdon (翠河) and fellow multiple winners Viva Pataca (爆冷), Indigenous (原居民), Oriental Express (奔騰), Blazing Speed (將男), Exultant (時時精綵) and Russian Emperor (將王).
Rebel’s Romance (桀驁之戀), Godolphin’s hardy globetrotter changed all of that last May with an emphatic victory in the 2024 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup for Charlie Appleby and William Buick with a facile performance.
Caption: William Buick drives Rebel’s Romance clear in the 2024 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater CupHorse racing is rarely renowned for incident-free perfection but Rebel’s Romance encountered exactly that under a sublime ride from Buick to comfortably account for the Tony Cruz pair Five G Patch (錶之五知) and La City Blanche (當年情) to become the first overseas winner of the race.
For Appleby, Group 1 success in a fourth separate racing jurisdiction aligned precisely with Godolphin’s world view of the sport.
“I’m delighted for Sheikh Mohammed and Team Godolphin to have this horse travel the way he has. He’s been to America, he’s been to Qatar, Dubai, Germany and now Hong Kong. [It] has always been on our bucket list to try and win a race here and we’re delighted to have the right horse,” Appleby said.
Caption: Winning connections of Rebel’s Romance“Having the right horse in Rebel’s Romance, we felt he was a horse we could be competitive with and hopefully in the near future, for sure, we’ll be looking forward to finding horses to coming over here.
“He’s a gelded son of Dubawi (杜拜威), he loves his travels. He’s a professional now and he’s done plenty of travelling now. He prefers to be on a plane than actually in his stable.
“The whole concept of Godolphin was built on being an international stable and hopefully dining at the top table as fortunately as we are today. Hong Kong racing is one of the pinnacles of racing and to come here, you have to have the right horse.”
Buick, who is a regular in Hong Kong, summed up Rebel’s Romance as a “real international superstar.”
The 2025 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup will be run at Sha Tin Racecourse on 25 May.
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