Rarely has a horse touched turf fans quite like the great Golden Sixty. A beacon of hope during the darkest days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the magnificent miler’s home-grown supporting cast of owner Stanley Chan Ka-leung, trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai and jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu ensured he resonated with the Hong Kong racing public as few before him have.

Responsible for some of the most electric performances Sha Tin has seen, Golden Sixty signs off with a world-record HK$167,170,600 in prize money thanks to 26 victories from 31 starts, including 10 at Group One level.

No Hong Kong-trained galloper has won as many races as Golden Sixty, who also holds the local record for elite-level triumphs and in 2020 became only the second horse to clean sweep the coveted Classic Series.

A crowd of some 30,000 is expected to descend on Sha Tin for the three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year’s farewell tomorrow afternoon, with a ceremony in the parade ring to be held between races five and six.

The road to immortality

MARCH 31, 2019

A HK$1.46 million purchase out of New Zealand, Golden Sixty was sent off the $2.75 favourite on debut on the back of three solid, but not spectacular, barrier trials. Moderately away under jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, Golden Sixty cruised up to travel forward of midfield before coasting to a one-and-a-half-length victory. He would go on to win his first three starts before tasting defeat for the first time in the last start of his debut campaign.

JANUARY 1, 2020

Golden Sixty continued his march up the ratings early in the 2019-20 season, rocketing to a mark of 102 with three more victories. He then encountered open company for the first time in the Group Three Chinese Club Challenge Cup (1,400m), brushing aside his rivals as the short-priced favourite to tune up for the Classic Series.

MARCH 22, 2020

Wins in the Classic Mile and Classic Cup left Golden Sixty on the cusp of becoming just the second horse to sweep the four-year-old series. Victory in the Hong Kong Derby was required to complete the set and despite a scare after a daring mid-race move from Blake Shinn on rank outsider Playa Del Puente, Golden Sixty dug deep to prevail in the last few strides of an epic running of the city’s most prestigious race.

DECEMBER 13, 2020

Put away for a spell after his Derby heroics, Golden Sixty reeled off three consecutive Group successes to begin his 2020-21 campaign and prepare for his first elite-level test in the Hong Kong Mile. A hot favourite against a field featuring Japanese raider Admire Mars, Golden Sixty came from well off the pace turning for home to swamp his rivals and confirm his status as a global superstar.

JANUARY 24, 2021

After brushing aside international opposition, Golden Sixty was expected to make light work of the Group One Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) but it wasn’t quite that simple. As he so often did, Ho pulled Golden Sixty to the outside turning for home before a dogfight with Southern Legend ensued. It took him until the final 50m, but the magnificent miler’s class prevailed in a fighting victory.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

With his stable star’s winning streak sitting at 12, trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai made the bold move to step Golden Sixty out to 2,000m for the Group One Gold Cup. In his first run at the distance since the Derby, Golden Sixty again had to find late after travelling behind midfield, this time edging Furore in a thriller.

APRIL 25, 2021

He scared off the internationals but local rival More Than This made Golden Sixty work for his first Group One Champions Mile victory. While Ho took off at the 650m and opened up a sizeable lead in the home straight, More Than This flew home to get within a head of the $1.20 favourite.

DECEMBER 12, 2021

A second consecutive victory in the Hong Kong Mile saw Golden Sixty move to 19 career wins, the most by a locally trained horse in the professional era. It was a dominant success made all the better by the 18,600 fans on course after almost two years of severe crowd restrictions thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

JANUARY 23, 2022

Golden Sixty had another record within his grasp heading into the Stewards’ Cup, needing one more win to equal Silent Witness’ local record of 17-straight successes. It was not to be, however, with Zac Purton and Waikuku spoiling the party. In the Gold Cup four weeks later, Golden Sixty would suffer two defeats in a row for the only time in his career, before bouncing back to finish his 2021-22 season with a second Champions Mile triumph.

JANUARY 29, 2023

Upset by California Spangle in the 2022 Hong Kong Mile and with many wondering if his reign was over, Golden Sixty responded in epic fashion by taking out a Stewards’ Cup dubbed the city’s “race of the decade”. After downing Romantic Warrior and California Spangle, Golden Sixty returned to 2,000m for the Gold Cup and beat Romantic Warrior again, this time at that champion galloper’s preferred distance.

APRIL 30, 2023

By becoming the first horse to win the Champions Mile three times, Golden Sixty etched out yet more history. The son of Medaglia d’Oro bypassed Winx as the world’s highest-earning racehorse, while he also broke new ground for a Hong Kong horse by bagging his ninth Group One victory.

DECEMBER 10, 2023

Golden Sixty may have left his best win until last, defying the outside gate and a 224-day break to annihilate his Hong Kong Mile rivals as an eight-year-old. It was his 26th and final victory, as well as his 10th triumph at Group One level. The most successful horse this city has ever seen raced once more, finishing a deflating fourth in the 2024 Champions Mile on yielding ground, ending his career with HK$167,170,600 in prize money.