Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in pedigree and overseas international racing. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Horse Racing – Results’, ‘Simulcast Preview'’ and Simulcast oversea races.

Hanshin Racecourse – Track Analysis (Mile Championship):

Due to on-going renovation at Kyoto Racecourse, this year’s Mile Championship will instead visit the Hanshin Racecourse in northwest Osaka, a venue that features three strips: a turf oval enveloping a dirt track, and a steeplechase course from outside in, while on the turf oval, horses can also turn for home via the inner bend or outer bend, resulting in a shorter 350m stretch run, or a full 500m drive to the finish respectively.

For the 1600m Mile Championship, runners will have a 400m stretch run before hitting the only turn, thus a bad stall may often lead to a wide trip, particularly for full fields; that said, a sweeping 700m outer bend may mitigate some of those disadvantages, as a wide move would hardly lose any balance.

The field will race downhill while homeward-bound – until the 200m marker – where the turf tucks right back up all the way to the finish. Furthermore, with a 500m stretch drive for deep closers to catch up, frontrunners do need more than a gargantuan trip to wire it home.

In the 2019 running of this G1 prize, when the turf was firm at Kyoto, INDY CHAMP, stalking right behind the first flight with a rail-scraping trip, slipstreamed through mid-stretch traffic, prompted the lead by the 100m marker, and was locked in for a nice score, while DANON PREMIUM, flaunting his tactical speed in the clear throughout, held on for second, and PERSIAN KNIGHT, racing midfield and saving ground early, was late to the scene for third.

With fair skies as of late in Osaka area, albeit occasional showers for a day or two heading into the weekend, this year's renewal of the Mile Championship would still be staged on good goings. Should the strip hold fast, forwardly-placed runners would still get the upper hand; yet if track conditions go south, rail horses may simply toil all day long.

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