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Urban Chic takes command in Japan’s 3-year-old division with a win in Sunday’s Grade 1 Kikuka Sho or Japanese St. Leger. Photo by and courtesy of Katsumi Saito

Oct. 21 (UPI) — A tight finish in the world’s richest grass race in Australia, ups and downs on British Champions Day at Ascot and potential new stars in Japan and Hong Kong kept the pot bubbling in weekend horse racing around the globe.

Away we go.

Saturday’s Group1 TAB Everest at Royal Randwick always looked like a wide-open affair and still did at the finish as Bella Nipotina just held off the 2022 winner, Giga Kick, to win the “world’s richest race on turf” by a short head.

Bella Nipotina overcame the outside gate assignment to earn the winner’s share of the AUS$20 million purse under Craig Williams. Traffic Warden, Godolphin’s hope, was a late scratch after acting up in the gate.

Bella Nipotina, a 7-year-old mare by Pride of Dubai, had finished second and third in two prep races for the Everest after winning just twice in nine starts during the fall season.

“We thought she was in career form. She got conditions to suit,” winning trainer Ciaron Maher said.

Ceolwulf got home first by 3/4 length over the favorite and reigning Australian Horse of the Year, Pride of Jenni, in Saturday’s Group 1 King Charles III Stakes, formerly the George Main. It was the second straight win for the Tavistock gelding after the Group 1 Epsom Handicap Oct. 5.

Everest winner Maher had a rare, and profitable, double on the day as another from his yard, relative outsider Duke De Sessa, captured Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup, another of Australia’s iconic races and a lead-in to the Melbourne Cup. He won by 1 1/4 lengths over the favorite, Buckaroo, with Land Legend third.

A 5-year-old, Irish-bred by Lope de Vega, Duke De Sessa finished ninth in the same race last year and had not won in five intervening starts. Harry Coffey had the winning ride while old Hong Kong rivals Joao Moreira and Zac Purton rode Buckaroo and Land Legend.

British Champions Day at Ascot provided a fair mix of surprises and satisfaction, while effectively wrapping up the flat racing season.

The biggest of the surprises came in the final Group 1 race, the British Champion Stakes, which had been billed as a showdown of 3-year-olds between French runner Calandagan and England’s Economics.

Instead, it was 40-1 shot Anmaat who rebounded from something of a scrum just inside the 2-furlongs marker, split rivals and stole the show by 1/2 length from Calandagan.

Economics had every chance, but faded to get home sixth. Anmaat was having just his third run of the year, while coming off a fifth place in the Group 2 Prix Dollar on Arc Day at Longchamp.

Kalpana, under William Buick, took full command in the final two furlongs of the Group 1 Fillies & Mares Stakes and got away to win by 2 lengths over pacesetting Wingspan.

The Juddmonte Farms homebred 3-year-old, by Study of Man, scored her third straight win and fifth from eight overall while stepping up to Group 1 racing for the first time. Trainer Andrew Balding said the filly’s progression has been remarkable.

Charyn took the lead with some 2 furlongs left of the 1-mile, Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, fought off a brave challenge from Facteur Cheval and drew clear again to win by 2 lengths over that one. Tamfana was third.

Charyn, a 4-year-old Dark Angel colt from Roger Varian’s yard, improved his 2024 mark to five wins and two seconds in seven starts.

Kind of Blue, Swingalong and Flora of Bermuda, long shots all, finished in that order in a tightly bundled package after the 6 furlongs of the Group 1 Sprint. The favorite, Kinross, finished seventh. James Doyle rode Kind of Blue for trainer James Fanshaw and the no-longer-upstart Wathnan Racing.

Kyprios ran his season record to seven wins in seven starts, and as he crossed the finish line of the Group 2 Long Distance Cup 2 1/4 lengths in front, commentator Simon Holt crowned him “King of the Stayers”. Tough to argue as the 6-year-old hasn’t been threatened in any of the victories, four of them Group 1 affairs.

Urban Chic took charge in the ranks of Japanese 3-year-olds with an impressive victory in Sunday’s Grade 1 Kikuka Sho or Japanese St. Leger, the third leg of the Japanese Triple Crown.

With the first two races in the series going to different winners, the leadership of the division was up for grabs and the Suave Richard colt grabbed it.

With Japan’s leading rider, Christophe Lemaire, in the irons, Urban Chic ran comfortably behind the speed in the 3,000-meter test, relaxed and had plenty of run as he turned into the stretch. As the others tired, he got away to win by 2 1/2 lengths.

Danon Decile, winner of the Tokyo Yushun or Japanese Derby, was never in a challenging position and finished sixth. Justin Milano, winner of the Satsuki Sho or Japanese 2,000 Guineas, was not entered for the Kikuka Sho and has been sidelined with a tendon injury. Lemaire said Urban Chic’s performance bodes well for his future.

Goliath, returning from his July victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, cruised to a professional score in Sunday’s Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris at Longchamp, clearing the bar for a try in the Japan Cup on Nov. 24.

The 4-year-old, German-bred gelding by Adlerflug tracked the pace through much of the 2,200-meter test, ran to the lead inside the 400-meter marker and had to work a bit to hold off a bold bid from Hamish before winning by 1/2 length.

Ka Ying Rising is living up to his name, rising through the Hong Kong ranks right toward the top.

The 4-year-old, New Zealand-bred gelding made it seven wins in nine starts with an as-you-please, 1 1/2-length domination of a good field, albeit some of them coming off layoffs, in Sunday’s Group 2 Premier Bowl Handicap at Sha Tin Racecourse.

With Zac Purton up, Ka Ying Rising let California Spangle show the way, shot by that one with ease midway down the stretch and wasn’t asked for his best in holding off a good bid by Helios Express. The Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint in December beckons.