THREE jockeys have been taken to hospital and two horses have died after a horror fall marred the Group One Hong Kong Sprint today, one of the highlights of the prestigious International Races at the famous Sha Tin track.

The distressing incident, in the fifth contest on the biggest day of racing in Hong Kong, came as Amazing Star, the mount of Lyle Hewitson, broke down as the field turned to enter the home straight in the 1.2km contest.

Gallopers Lucky Patch (mount of Zac Purton), Naboo Attack (Karis Teetan) and Pixie Knight (Yuichi Fukunaga) were caught in the melee and sent sprawling in distressing scenes.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club confirmed that Hewitson, Purton and Fukunaga are all in a stable condition after being taken to nearby Prince of Wales Hospital.

Teetan walked away unscathed and was able to fulfil the rest of his rides.

Sadly, Amazing Star and Naboo Attack both had to be euthanised as a result of their injuries.

Caspar Fownes-trained Sky Field went on to win under Australian jockey Blake Shinn, who was understandably subdued after the race.

“I have mixed emotions about winning this race today,” he said, after landing his first Group One victory in Hong Kong.

“Obviously, the first emotion is that my feelings are with the fallen jockeys and horses out there. It is a bittersweet win and… a hard win to take in the circumstances.”

Golden Sixty lived up to his billing as the one true superstar in the Group One Hong Kong Mile, while regular rider Vincent Ho blew rivals away to become the first horse to win 19 races in Hong Kong.

“Well, 19 (wins) is quite a lot, but every race starts from zero, so the next race is another uncertain race. When everything is over, we will see how great he is.”

The Japanese raiders are typically dominant, matching their previous output with two victories.

Glory Vase won the Hong Kong Vase and Loves Only You lifted the feature Hong Kong Cup.

Glory Vase, under star Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira, took out the Vase for the second time in three years.

Loves Only You, under Japanese jockey Yoshito Yahagi, meanwhile, bids the perfect farewell to racing with her third victory of the year. – AFP, December 12, 2021.