Red Lion Upsets Voyage Bubble in G1 FWD Champions Mile

Starting from gate 12 and as an outsider, the son of Belardo shone with Hugh Bowman in the saddle to win the FWD Champions Mile on FWD Champions Day

Red Lion, with Hugh Bowman aboard, secured his much-anticipated G1 victory / HKJC

SHA TIN, Hong Kong (Special for Turf Diario). - Second in this same race last year, Red Lion delivered the big surprise on Sunday at Sha Tin, winning the FWD Champions Mile (G1-1600m) by a narrow nose over Voyage Bubble (Deep Field), with Hugh Bowman aboard and trained by John Size. Starting from gate 12 and quoted at 89/1, Red Lion became the highest-paying winner in the history of the race, setting the pace from the start and holding on with tenacity, clocking a time of 1:33.21. The result stood after a stewards' inquiry regarding slight contact with Voyage Bubble in the final meters.

Red Lion is owned by Ronald Arculli, former president of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and his wife Johanna. A passionate owner for many years, Arculli was also the owner of the famous globetrotter Red Cadeaux (Cadeaux Genereux) and River Verdon (Be My Native), the only winner of the Hong Kong Triple Crown in the 1993/94 season.

With this victory, Red Lion raised his earnings to HK$34.81 million with six wins from 29 starts, giving John Size his fifth Champions Mile win, following previous victories with Electronic Unicorn (Housebuster, 2003), Sight Winner(Faltaat, 2009), Contentment (Hussonet, 2017), and Beauty Eternal (Starspangledbanner, 2024).

“He was second in this race last year. Congratulations to John and the ownership group because Red Lion is an extremely consistent horse and a well-deserved G1 winner, but honestly, I’m a bit lost for words,” Bowman said.

From the start, Red Lion took the lead under Bowman’s guidance to overcome his tricky position in the stalls, while Voyage Bubble stayed alongside him. Both horses broke away from the pack in the straight, battling head-to-head, with Sunlight Power (Capitalist) finishing in third and My Wish (Flying Artie) in a hard-fought fourth.

“It’s fantastic. He’s a very consistent and brave horse. Having the chance to ride him multiple times gave me confidence. I didn’t expect to lead, but all the credit goes to John and his team; they presented him in fantastic shape. Also, the slight moisture in the ground clearly helped his chances. I’m very proud of him,” Bowman added.

Meanwhile, John Size commented: “He’s been consistently competitive throughout his campaign. He always gives his best and positions himself to win. Today, like all winners, he needed several things to go his way: maybe the moisture in the ground and being able to lead without being pressured. All that contributed to his victory.”

Before this performance, Red Lion had already shown his quality at the highest level, with three placings in G1 races, two of them in the mile.

“I think the horse’s mindset and what goes through his head are crucial. Today, he showed the determination of a true runner: he seemed to know he could win and decided it would be that way. He pushed forward, fought, and under those circumstances, it’s very hard to beat a horse with that attitude,” Size added.

On Voyage Bubble, his jockey James McDonald stated: “He was fantastic. I’m very proud of his effort.” Christophe Soumillon, meanwhile, was satisfied with Sunlight Power’s third-place finish: “He ran a great race. Unfortunately, the distance may have been a bit long for him, but he gave a great impression and I think he will be a very good horse.

Declan Shuster (HKJC)