The Hong Kong Jockey Club has announced the final nominees for the Champion Awards 2025/26, recognising a season of outstanding performances and highlighting the horses that have shaped the racing year.
Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards
The announcement was made during a Nominees Announcement Ceremony held at the Happy Valley race meeting on Wednesday, 24 June. Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Executive Director of Racing Andrew Harding, Executive Director of Sports Business Casper Stylsvig, and Year of the Horse Ambassador Aaron Kwok took part in the ceremony and unveiled the shortlisted contenders.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards 2025/26 nominees were revealed across six categories, with 12 finalists selected by the judging panel.
The awards recognise the leading achievements of horses throughout the season, with the Champion Awards 2025/26 set to celebrate the strongest performers across sprinting, staying, age-group and overall categories.
In the Champion Sprinter category for horses competing over 1400 metres or below, Ka Ying Rising has earned the sole nomination.
The Champion Miler category features My Wish, Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble, while Romantic Warrior also appears among the nominees for Champion Middle-Distance Horse and Champion Stayer.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards 2025/26 will recognise the season’s most successful horses and performances when the winners are announced at the presentation ceremony on Friday, 10 July.
For four-year-olds, the Champion Four-Year-Old category includes Invincible Ibis, Little Paradise, Numbers and Stormy Grove, while Baby Sakura, Hot Delight, Salon S and Tycoon Resources have been named finalists for Champion Griffin.
The Champion Awards judging panel consists of six members, including three representatives from The Hong Kong Jockey Club and three representatives from the Association of Hong Kong Racing Journalists.
The HKJC representatives are Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Andrew Harding and Head of Racing Product Greg Carpenter. The journalism representatives are Chairman Carlos Wu, Vice-Chairman Cheung Kam Yau and Committee Member Toto Wong.
The panel praised the connections of all finalists for the quality of their horses’ efforts throughout the season. The final winners will be announced at the Champion Awards presentation evening at Rosewood Hong Kong on 10 July.
The ceremony also launched a series of interactive activities at race meetings, building excitement among fans ahead of the annual awards celebration.
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