Introduction

The BMW Hong Kong Derby is the ultimate prize in the three-race Four-Year-Old Classic Series and a once-in-a-lifetime challenge.

Exclusive to four-year-olds, the Derby's allure lies in the fact that contenders have a single shot at glory, making victory in the race a most coveted feat of achievement for trainers, jockeys and owners. Staged at a distance of 2000 metres, it is a supreme test for Hong Kong's emerging stars.

The Derby follows the Hong Kong Classic Mile and Hong Kong Classic Cup in the Classic Series and the race is well established as a key identifier of Hong Kong's future heroes. The list of past victors attests to that, with Ambitious Dragon, Designs On Rome, Werther and Rapper Dragon among the Derby winners to subsequently claim Horse of the Year honours in the same season. And 2020 winner Golden Sixty has since become the most outstanding local hero of the decade.

Last year Sky Darci won the Derby in his first attempt at a middle-distance race, another milestone in the season for Caspar Fownes and Joao Moreira who went on to become Champion Trainer and Champion Jockey respectively.

BMW have sponsored the Hong Kong Derby since 2013 and the prize money for the race increased from HK$20 million to HK$24 million in 2021.