The Champions & Chater Cup is the final Group 1 race of the Hong Kong season and is run on turf at Sha Tin over a distance of 2400 metres (1 mile 8 furlongs). The prizemoney in 2020 was $HK10 million ($US1.29 million), and the honour roll of this race features many of the best stayers to have graced the turf at Sha Tin.
It is the third leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown. The first leg is the Hong Kong Stewards’ Cup over 1600m at Sha Tin in January and the second leg is the Hong Kong Gold Cup over 2000m at the same track in February. Unlike many triple crowns worldwide, this one is not restricted to three-year-old gallopers.
Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup history
The race was originally run in 1870 when it was known as just the Champion Stakes. In 1926 the name was changed to honour HK businessman and horse racing stalwart Sir Catchick Paul Chater and it was changed again in 1995 to it latest iteration. The race distance was
changed from 1800 metres to 2200 metres in 1992 and extended again to 2400m in 1995.Some of the superstar winners of this race in recent years include the mighty Viva Pataca, which won the race three times for veteran HK trainer John Moore, with Irish jockey Michael Kinane on board for the first two of those wins.
Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup recent winners, jockeys, trainers
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Viva Pataca | Michael Kinane | John Moore |
| 2007 | Viva Pataca | Michael Kinane | John Moore |
| 2008 | Packing Winner | Douglas Whyte | Peter Ho |
| 2009 | Viva Pataca | Weichong Marwing | John Moore | 2010 | Mr Medici | Gerald Mosse | Peter Ho |
| 2011 | Mighty High | Darren Beadman | John Moore |
| 2012 | Liberator | Weichong Marwing | David Ferraris |
| 2013 | California Memory | Matthew Chadwick | Tony Cruz |
| 2014 | Blazing Speed | Neil Callan | Tony Cruz |
| 2015 | Helene Super Star | Douglas Whyte | Tony Cruz |
| 2016 | Blazing Speed | Neil Callan | Tony Cruz |
| 2017 | Werther | Hugh Bowman | John Moore |
| 2018 | Pakistan Star | Tommy Berry | Tony Cruz |
| 2019 | Exultant | Zac Purton | Tony Cruz |
| 2020 | Exultant | Zac Purton | Tony Cruz |
Late May or early June.
The 2400-metre turf race is contested at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong. Sha Tin is the home of all Group 1 racing in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club offers live streaming on HKJCTV, a mobile channel. This may not be available in all jurisdictions but many horse racing channels also offer live streaming from HK, a mecca of racing.
Unibet has a large racing offering and will offer competitive fixed odds on Hong Kong racing. Alternatively check out our guide to the best online betting sites.
Check out our guide to horse racing betting online, which goes into depth about the bookmakers with the best odds for Hong Kong.