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Several returning heroes were among the galaxy of stars present at the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) press conference at Tai Kwun in Central, Hong Kong on Tuesday (3 December).
Among them was Rachel King, who will be hoping to emulate her flawless start to last year's competition after striking in the opening leg on her Happy Valley debut aboard Oversubscribed.
The rider was born in Britain but has reached the pinnacle of Australian racing, and it is that nation she will represent at Happy Valley on Wednesday evening (4 December) after visiting Japan and America earlier this year.
"It helped kicking off the night well and having a winner last year, so it was nice to be asked back again," King said. "For my first ride to win was huge and it was definitely a different kind of buzz."
King has enjoyed some of the finest moments in the saddle for Mark Newnham, who was previously based in Australia but now trains in Hong Kong, and the jockey is particularly looking forward to rekindling that relationship in the event's first heat.
The pair will combine with Super Baby, who is drawn in the advantageous stall one, while King also gives the last-time-out winner Storming Dragon a strong chance in leg four.
"I'm going into the event with a higher level of confidence this year," she said. "It's not too dissimilar to a few of the Australian tracks, so I feel like I have a bit of an advantage there.
"I feel like I know it like one of the locals now. It won't be easy but I should feel more comfortable."
Another returning LONGINES IJC race winner is Colin Keane, who shares the same unique distinction as King having also struck on his first ride at the track.
That victory came aboard Special Stars in the first round of the 2018 competition, and he added a second winner the following year when successful aboard Flying Quest in the third LONGINES IJC race.
The Irish rider has enjoyed a fine winter in the saddle, having partnered Magnum Force to success at the Breeders' Cup in the United States of America. Now he hopes to improve his superb course record.
"This place has been lucky for me and I was delighted to be asked back," Keane said. "These are the places you want to be riding as you're against the best in the world."
Keane will be hoping to capitalise on decent draws in the first and final legs aboard Circuit Seven and Kyrus Dragon, respectively.
"I think I have an okay bunch of rides," he said. "You'd like to be on a horse who wants to be on the pace, but the two horses I won on before came from behind, so it just depends on the way the race is run."
Yuga Kawada makes his fourth appearance in the LONGINES IJC and will be bidding to emulate the successes of his Japanese weighing room colleagues Yutaka Take and Yuichi Fukunaga, who were successful in 2004 and 2014.
Kawada hit the crossbar twice 12 months ago, finishing a non-scoring fourth in each of the opening two legs.
"I think I've been luckier with the draw than last year," said Kawada, who has favourable berths on David Hall-trained pair Golden Darci and Never Too Soon in rounds two and three. "I feel better prepared thanks to my previous visits."
Kawada will be the focus of many Japanese hopes on Sunday, with key rides on leading contenders Jantar Mantar in the HK$36 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) and Liberty Island, who goes head-to-head with Romantic Warrior in the HK$40 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m).
On Liberty Island, Kawada said: "I personally think she has a big chance, she's a filly with a huge amount of quality."