A third Melbourne Cup may have eluded Joseph O’Brien last November, but if Al Riffa can channel the right pieces of Hong Kong Vase history, then a feature win at Sha Tin might make up for it.
Also, unlike Melbourne where O’Brien had to attend the Breeders’ Cup meeting before heading to Flemington on Cup Eve, the Irishman has been able to oversee the few days of the valuable son of Wootton Bassett’s preparations for Sunday’s 2400-metre Group 1 – one of four races at the highest level on the Hong Kong International Race Day.
Coming off a win in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m) at Curragh in September, the entire finished seventh in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 4.
“He has trained on well since being here and I am happy with him,” O’Brien said.
“I think it is a very competitive renewal of the race.”
The historical link comes in the form of previous winners Dunaden in 2011 and Highland Reel in 2015.
“17 horses have come through the Melbourne Spring Carnival and then travelled on to Hong Kong to compete on this day,” Racing and Sports expert Simon Dinopoulos said.
“Two of them have won and Al Riffa is among the better chances especially how open this edition of the Vase is.
“Horses coming out of the Cup have a good record in the Vase and his form at the trip says he’s one of the major players.”
Al Riffa will be ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle who arrived in Hong Kong this week before taking up a short-term licence into early 2026.
“He’s got a lot of class,” McMonagle said of Al Riffa.
“He’s a very straightforward horse and responds really well under pressure.
“You can put him wherever he wants to, he has a good kick.”
O’Brien added that McMonagle is well placed to have Al Riffa in the right spot however the race shape pans out after jumping from barrier two.
“I think that makes the tactics on the day straightforward,” he added.
