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Sam Agars

No Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) winner has ever gone onto taste Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) glory in the same season.
That seems very unlikely to change in 2024.
As solid as Ensued’s win was on Sunday, the chances of him dethroning Romantic Warrior in the Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) or taking down the inevitable raiding party in the Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) are slim.
As pleased as John Size was to land the Group Three prize with a galloper who’s been nothing if not honest since joining his stable, he certainly wasn’t getting carried away about what lies ahead.

Ensued pockets the G3 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse! 👛
The American-bred charges clear for @KarisTeetan, trainer John Size and Ada Wong, owner of 2013 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse winner Endowing... 🏆#SaSaLPDay | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/kudkI82r3D
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) November 3, 2024

“Winning that race is going to help him qualify for one of the [HKIR features] – the 2,000m or the 2,400m. Whichever one is not busy, they’ll probably put him in,” Size said of Ensued, who was penalised 18 points for his weekend win and now sits on a mark of 104.
“At this point we don’t really care, the prize money is there and as you can see today, luck is very important.”
The last Ladies’ Purse runners to salute at that year’s HKIR were Exultant (Vase) and Glorious Forever (Cup) in 2018. It seems equally unlikely that any of the runners who finished behind Ensued on Sunday will emulate that pair.
There were some serious expectations around this year’s Hong Kong Derby winner, Massive Sovereign, and while the $2.4 favourite may have been somewhat disadvantaged by the muddling early tempo, there was certainly nothing about his performance that screamed “Group One winner in waiting”.
No Sovereign in G2 entries
Before worrying about where Ensued lands on international day, Size will attempt to have his galloper follow in the footsteps of his other Ladies’ Purse victor, Endowing.
Representing the same connections as Ensued, Endowed parlayed his 2013 Ladies’ Purse success into victory in the Group Two Jockey Club Cup (2,000m) two weeks later.
Ensued will be one of 11 gallopers attempting to take down eight-time Group One winner Romantic Warrior, who is the clear stand-out in the HK$5.35 million feature after entries were revealed on Monday.
Also in the race is Ladies’ Purse runner-up La City Blanche and a string of gallopers who finished down the field – Sword Point, Nimble Nimbus, Encountered and Five G Patch – but one notable absentee is Massive Sovereign, with connections opting against the two-week backup.

Smashing win, Ka Ying Rising! 👏
David Hayes' young talent won his first Group 2 on Sunday at Sha Tin, taking the Premier Bowl with @zpurton ahead of a fast-closing Helios Express... #LoveRacing | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/5zYFEjDVkx
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) October 21, 2024

Rounding out the Jockey Club Cup field are Awesome Fluke, Ka Ying Generation, Money Catcher, Natural Storm and Winning Dragon.
All the expected big names feature in the Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m) entries, with Ka Ying Rising to get weight off big guns California Spangle, Invincible Sage and Victor The Winner, who must all carry 128 pounds as Group One winners in the past 12 months.
Joining Ka Ying Rising at the bottom of the weights on 123 pounds are Beauty Waves, Copartner Prance, Flying Ace, Helios Express, Howdeepisyourlove, James Tak, Lucky With You, Majestic Knight and Mugen.
Elite-level victors Beauty Eternal and Voyage Bubble headline the Group Two Jockey Club Mile entries alongside Galaxy Patch, while Beauty Joy, Chancheng Glory, Happy Together, Red Lion, Straight Arron and Taj Dragon are also there.
IJC reveal
The overseas riders for December’s Longines International Jockeys’ (IJC) Championship are expected to be announced on Tuesday but it seems the Jockey Club’s marketing team have already confirmed a good portion of the line-up in ads plastered around the city.
Regular IJC participants Ryan Moore, James McDonald and Hollie Doyle feature in the promo alongside Hong Kong-based stars Zac Purton and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, while it’s believed the likes of Mickael Barzalona and Rachel King will also take part in December 4’s event at Happy Valley.


Frankie Lor unleashes Stormy Grove, Lucky With You and Salon S on key day at Sha Tin

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Nichola Yuen celebrates first Happy Valley win as David Eustace and Jerry Chau lead quartet of doubles

Andrea Atzeni eyes Happy Valley success before first ride on Helios Express in Celebration Cup

Hong Kong racing

John Size open-minded about Ensued’s HKIR target: ‘At this point we don’t really care’

John Size looks over Ensued after the four-year-old’s weekend success. Photo: Kenneth Chan

Sport

Racing

Ladies’ Purse victor will attempt to emulate Endowing by parlaying Group Three success into Group Two Jockey Club Cup (2,000m) glory


Ladies’ Purse victor will attempt to emulate Endowing by parlaying Group Three success into Group Two Jockey Club Cup (2,000m) glory.


Talking Points

John Size open-minded about Ensued’s HKIR target: ‘At this point we don’t really care’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ladies’ Purse victor will attempt to emulate Endowing by parlaying Group Three success into Group Two Jockey Club Cup (2,000m) glory

Ladies’ Purse victor will attempt to emulate Endowing by parlaying Group Three success into Group Two Jockey Club Cup (2,000m) glory