Hong Kong International Races 2026: Benvenuto Cellini, Ka Ying Rising

Hong Kong International Races 2026: what was announced

The Hong Kong International Races 2026 will be run at Sha Tin on Sunday, December 13, and on November 4 the Hong Kong Jockey Club published 142 nominations for them, including 36 individual Group 1 winners. The four races, the Sprint, Mile, Cup and Vase, are all Group 1 on turf and carry HK$130 million in prize money between them.

The headline name is Benvenuto Cellini. Aidan O'Brien's three-year-old won the Irish Derby and then the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland under Ryan Moore, and he is entered in both the Hong Kong Cup and the Hong Kong Vase.

One big name is missing. Romantic Warrior, who won the Hong Kong Cup four years running from 2022 to 2025, is not nominated, so the Cup will have a new winner for the first time since 2021.

Nominations are not a final field

Read the list as a wish list, not a race card. Trainers nominate widely because it keeps options open, and many horses are entered in two races.

Here is how the field narrows, using the Jockey Club's published key dates:

• November 2: free entries closed.
• November 4: nominations published (the 142).
• November 23: supplementary entries close, so a late addition is still possible.
• November 25: the Jockey Club announces which horses it has selected.
• December 10: declarations to run. The barrier draw is usually held around the same time.
• December 13: race day at Sha Tin.

Horses also have races to get through first. Godolphin's Military Order, entered in the Cup, runs in the Bahrain International Trophy on November 13. France's Erdenali, a Prix du Moulin winner entered in the Mile, runs in the Mile Championship at Kyoto on November 22. A hard race, a setback or a change of plan can take any horse off the list.

The four races and what each one tests

Sprint (1200m)

About 1,200 meters, roughly six furlongs, is over in little more than a minute. There is no time to recover from a slow start or a bad position, so gate speed and a good draw matter a lot.

Mile (1600m)

The mile asks a horse to travel fast and still have a finishing kick. Hong Kong-trained horses have dominated it lately, and the home side is chasing a seventh straight win in the race.

Cup (2000m)

The richest race of the day, at about a mile and a quarter. It suits horses with a turn of foot that also stay, which is why it draws milers stepping up and middle-distance horses dropping back.

Vase (2400m)

The longest race, at about a mile and a half, the classic Derby distance. Europeans and Japanese stayers often target it, because few Hong Kong-based horses are campaigned at that trip.

New to the terms? Our glossary explains group races, furlongs and the draw.

The big names to know

Ka Ying Rising, Sprint

The home star is rated 135 and tops the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. He won the 2024 and 2025 Hong Kong Sprints during a 21-race unbeaten run and has set six Sha Tin course records. A third win would make him the first horse to take the race three times. Read more in our Ka Ying Rising profile.

Japan's Sprint nominations include Puro Magic, winner of the Sprinters Stakes, and Group 1 winner Star Anise. Tuco Salamanca is the only British entry in the race.

My Wish, Mile

My Wish won his first Group 1 in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin in April and was sixth in last year's Hong Kong Mile. He leads the local team. Japan's nominees include Yasuda Kinen winner Sixpence, and Aidan O'Brien has entered Puerto Rico and True Love.

Benvenuto Cellini and the O'Brien team, Cup and Vase

O'Brien entered four horses in both the Cup and the Vase: Benvenuto Cellini, Minnie Hauk, Lambourn and Diamond Necklace, a Prix de Diane winner. Queenstown is in the Vase only. The Standard reports that the Breeders' Cup Turf was O'Brien's 28th Group or Grade 1 win of the year, equaling the record he set in 2017, so a Group 1 win at Sha Tin could set a new mark. His record at the Breeders' Cup is covered in our O'Brien story.

Other Cup names include Almaqam for Ed Walker, Military Order for Charlie Appleby, Hong Kong's six-time Group 1 winner Voyage Bubble, and Japan's Masquerade Ball and Nebra Disk. In the Vase, look for Japan's Kikuka Sho winner Going To Sky, Caulfield Cup winner Kingswood from Australia, and 2024 winner Giavellotto.

Why Europe, Japan and Hong Kong meet in December

The date is no accident. Each side arrives at Sha Tin at a natural point in its season.

• Europe: the main turf season has ended. December is the last big chance for a top horse to earn, and the prize money is far above a European winter race.
• Japan: horses come off the autumn Group 1s, including the Japan Cup on November 29. Hong Kong is a short trip, and Japanese horses have a long record here. Our Japan Cup guide covers that race.
• Hong Kong: the local season runs from September to July, so December falls in the middle of it. Local horses are race-fit and racing on their home track.
• The Breeders' Cup link: horses that race at the Breeders' Cup in late autumn, like Benvenuto Cellini, have about six weeks to recover and ship. See our Breeders' Cup 2026 results.

The result is one of the few days a year when the best turf horses from three racing worlds meet on neutral-ish ground. Sha Tin's home horses do have the advantage of no flight.

What to watch next

Use this checklist to follow the story without getting lost in the nominations:

1. November 13: does Military Order come out of Bahrain well enough to keep Hong Kong on his schedule?
2. November 22: Erdenali's run at Kyoto. A hard race there could change his December plans.
3. November 25: the selection list. This is when the 142 becomes a realistic picture.
4. Which race for Benvenuto Cellini? Watch whether O'Brien picks the Cup or the Vase.
5. December 10: final declarations, then the draw, which matters most in the Sprint.
6. December 13: race day. Hong Kong is 13 hours ahead of US Eastern time in December, so the racing falls in the night before or early Sunday morning across the Americas. Start times are still provisional.

Want to understand what you are watching? Start with our learn section and the disciplines guide, or catch up on other stories in trends.