Championship leader Mark Newnham carries a powerful hand into Sunday’s HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile, the opening leg of the prestigious Four-Year-Old Classic Series, as Sha Tin prepares for one of its most anticipated meetings of the season.
The Australian trainer, edging the trainers’ table by a single win, saddles four of the 14 runners in the Hong Kong Classic Mile, underlining the depth Newnham has built during his near three-year tenure in the city. It is a position earned through careful planning rather than chance, with the trainer steadily assembling a group of progressive young horses tailored for this exact stage.
Newnham has already amassed 33 winners this season and believes success in Hong Kong’s signature four-year-old features begins long before race day. His stable philosophy, he says, has always been about targeting races that resonate most with local owners and offer long-term rewards.
“The Four-Year-Old Classic Series is very popular with Hong Kong owners, so you have to buy horses with that in mind,” Newnham explained. “We’ve been fortunate to have a good group that we’ve had from the start and that have developed into these races.”
Four-Pronged Attack in the Hong Kong Classic Mile
Newnham’s quartet for the Hong Kong Classic Mile comprises Invincible Ibis, Crimson Flash, Infinite Resolve and Winfield, each bringing a different racing style to the 1600-metre contest that launches the Series.
Invincible Ibis, drawn gate 11, arrives with four consecutive victories and has established a reputation as a powerful late finisher. The Hellbent gelding has consistently produced decisive closing runs, reeling in rivals deep in the straight to assert his authority.
Crimson Flash, who jumps from barrier seven, has shown tactical speed in his three wins to date, often racing prominently and applying pressure from the front. Infinite Resolve, drawn favourably in gate three, proved effective from a midfield position when recording his lone Hong Kong success so far.
Winfield adds further intrigue. The Brazilian import, drawn gate eight, made his name at the highest level in South America, most notably when dominating a Group 1 field in the Jockey Club de Sao Paulo over 2000 metres, leading throughout to score by a widening margin.
Newnham’s association with this race is already a notable one. Last season, his charge My Wish landed the Hong Kong Classic Mile by a neck, then went on to finish second in the Classic Cup before being narrowly denied in the Hong Kong Derby. That near-clean sweep has only sharpened the trainer’s focus this time around.
Despite holding multiple pace options, Newnham is reluctant to overcomplicate matters.
“You’ve got to give every horse their best chance,” he said. “Some are better if there’s more pace, some less, and some depend on how the track is playing. But you still have to let each horse do what it does best.”
The Newnham contingent will face a deep and varied field including Sagacious Life, Little Paradise, Beauty Bolt, Patch Of Cosmo, Public Attention, Akashvani, Top Dragon, Circuit Grand Slam, Shanwah and Windlord, promising a truly searching test to open the Series.
Sunday’s 11-race programme at Sha Tin begins at 12.30pm with the Class 4 Clear Water Bay Handicap over 1000 metres. The spotlight then falls firmly on the Hong Kong Classic Mile, scheduled for 4.05pm, where early bragging rights in the Four-Year-Old Classic Series will be firmly on the line.
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