Zodiacal, Preparante and Racatan: South America’s Trio Set for Champions & Chater Cup Test in Hong Kong

Argentine-bred and Chilean runners will fly the South American flag this Sunday at Sha Tin in the prestigious G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, where local stars Voyage Bubble, Cap Ferrat, and globetrotting Dubai Honour loom as the ones to beat

Zodiacal Looks to Upset the Stars in Hong Kong / HKJC

SHA TIN, Hong Kong (Special for Turf Diario).- A trio of South American representatives will look to make history this Sunday at Sha Tin as they line up in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, contested over 2400 meters on the turf.

Zodiacal (Cityscape), representing Argentina, along with Chilean-breds Preparante (Ivan Denisovich) and Racatan(Lookin At Lucky), are all trained by Hong Kong legend Tony Cruz, and will race under their local names La City Blanche, Winning Dragon, and Moments In Time, respectively. Each will be aiming for a milestone victory in one of the jurisdiction’s premier staying tests.

A classic winner at home in the G1 Gran Premio Jockey Club at San Isidro in 2021, Zodiacal has settled in well in Hong Kong, highlighted by a win in the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup. Preparante, a dual G1 winner in Chile—most notably in the Clásico Alberto Vial Infante at two and El Derby at three—has yet to break through at the highest level internationally but has shown flashes of top-level ability. Racatan, another Chilean G1 winner courtesy of his victory in the 2022 Nacional Ricardo Lyon, is looking to rebound from a seventh-place effort behind Japan’s Tastierain the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Cruz, who has won the Champions & Chater Cup seven times as a trainer—and three more as a jockey—will also saddle Five G Patch (Camelot), whom he labels as his strongest contender of the quartet. The latter was fifth last out in the Queen Mother Memorial Cup, finishing behind Preparante (third) and ahead of Zodiacal (sixth), all in a race won by Bundle of Charm (Shamus Award), who returns here as well.

The likely favorite is local star Voyage Bubble (Deep Field), who narrowly lost his winning streak when edged out by Red Lion (Belardo) in the G1 Champions Mile. His class and consistency keep him squarely at the top of the conversation.

Another major contender is Cap Ferrat (Snitzel), winner of this season’s Hong Kong Derby (G1) and most recently fifth behind Tastiera in the QEII Cup.

International flair is added by Irish raider Dubai Honour (Pride of Dubai), trained by William Haggas and to be ridden by Tom Marquand. A globe-trotting Group 1 winner in France (Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud), Australia (Ranvet Stakes, Queen Elizabeth Stakes), and a listed winner in England, Dubai Honour was last seen finishing second to Via Sistina in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick.

The field also includes Ensued (Lemon Drop Kid) and Rubylot (Rubick), rounding out a highly competitive renewal of one of Hong Kong’s staying crown jewels.