Globetrotting star Spirit Dancer is gearing up for a showdown in the Hong Kong Cup after securing a second consecutive victory in the Bahrain International Trophy.
Trained by Richard Fahey and co-owned by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the seven-year-old has become a force on the international stage. Following last year’s Bahrain win, he added the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia to his accolades. This season, Spirit Dancer returned to Bahrain in top form, delivering a dominant, career-best performance under Oisin Orr.
Next up is Sha Tin, where Spirit Dancer will attempt to dethrone local hero Romantic Warrior, who is chasing a historic third straight Hong Kong Cup win.
“The plan is to probably go to Hong Kong,” Fahey confirmed. “It’s always tough, but he’s lightly raced this year, and this was the overseas trip we had in mind. His Bahrain performance was exceptional—four seconds faster than last year on similar ground. The clock backs up what we saw.”
Spirit Dancer’s Far East adventure faced a brief scare when a touch of colic delayed his return to England. However, the son of Frankel recovered quickly and is now set to fly directly from Bahrain to Hong Kong.
“He was due to come home first, but he’s been fine since the scare and has been cantering in Bahrain,” Fahey explained. “He’ll now head straight to Hong Kong alongside Calif, who finished third in Bahrain.”
Spirit Dancer’s remarkable form and resilience have his connections dreaming big as they prepare for the December 8 Hong Kong Cup challenge.