Francis Lui believes Cap Ferrat is returning to his best at precisely the right stage of the Hong Kong season as the former Hong Kong Derby winner prepares to tackle the HK$13 million Group 1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, 24 May.
The Sha Tin Champions & Chater Cup 2026 is shaping as one of the defining staying contests of the Hong Kong campaign, with Romantic Warrior bidding to complete the Hong Kong Triple Crown after already securing victories in the Stewards’ Cup and the Hong Kong Gold Cup earlier this year.
While much of the attention naturally centres on the outstanding Romantic Warrior, Lui is quietly optimistic that Cap Ferrat can again measure up at elite level after an interrupted campaign that threatened to derail his season.
The four-year-old, who captured last season’s BMW Hong Kong Derby, finished third in the 2025 edition of the Champions & Chater Cup before suffering a setback that kept him away from peak competition for several months. After extensive remedial work and patient management from Lui’s stable, the gelding has steadily rebuilt his condition through two encouraging runs this spring.
Cap Ferrat first returned with a closing seventh in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy over 1600 metres on 6 April before producing arguably the best run of his career when chasing home Voyage Bubble in the Group 1 FWD Champions Mile on 26 April.
Lui said the signs from trackwork this week had strengthened confidence ahead of Sunday’s staying feature.
“I’m happy. My assistant trainer Vincent Sit rode him and he was very happy with his gallop,” Lui said.
“I think his condition right now is the best he’s been in all season because this is his third run after the setback and fourth this season.”
Cap Ferrat completed a searching piece of work in 1m 20.6s alongside stablemate Winning Wing on Tuesday morning, clocking sectional splits of 30.4s, 27.3s and 22.9s in the closing stages. Winning Wing, himself entered for Sunday’s Group 1 assignment, partnered Dylan Mo in the exercise gallop.
Internationally renowned Australian jockey Craig Williams reunites with Cap Ferrat this weekend after steering the gelding to Hong Kong Derby glory last season and his recent Group 1 placing in the Champions Mile.
Lui acknowledged the rider’s experience could again prove valuable in a high-pressure contest.
“He surprised me last start,” Lui said.
“He placed in this race last season, so hopefully we can be in the first three. Craig Williams is a good partner.”
Williams has enjoyed elite-level success across multiple major racing jurisdictions, including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Britain, France, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Across his various Hong Kong stints, he has ridden 127 winners.
The Sha Tin Champions & Chater Cup 2026 field could also include Winning Wing, who has shown staying potential in recent outings. The gelding finished placed behind Romantic Warrior in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup before running third to Romantic Thor in the Group 3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap over 2400 metres earlier this month.
Lui believes the distance now holds no concerns for the improving runner.
“You can see last start he showed he can handle this distance,” Lui said.
“We don’t know about the level yet, but the distance, sure.”
Away from Sunday’s headline feature, Lui continues to build momentum in the Hong Kong trainers’ championship. The 67-year-old surged into fourth place in the standings after a treble at Sha Tin last Sunday, lifting his seasonal tally to 50 winners.
Danny Shum currently leads the premiership race with 54 wins, narrowly ahead of Mark Newnham on 52 and Caspar Fownes on 51. David Hayes sits on 48 victories, while John Size has prepared 46 winners with the Hong Kong season entering its closing stretch.
Wednesday night’s Happy Valley fixture represents the 73rd meeting of an 88-meeting schedule before the season concludes on 15 July.
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