The finalists for the 2025/26 Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards have been confirmed, setting the stage for the season's top honors to be decided on July 10. Twelve horses have been shortlisted across six championship categories following the deliberations of the Champion Awards Judging Panel, with Horse of the Year to be selected from the winners of the performance categories, excluding Champion Griffin.

The final nominees were unveiled during a ceremony at Happy Valley on Wednesday, June 24, where Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Executive Director, Racing Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Sports Business Casper Stylsvig, and Year of the Horse Ambassador Aaron Kwok revealed the contenders.

The announcement also marked the start of a series of on-course activities leading into the Champion Awards presentation, which will take place at the Rosewood Hong Kong on Friday, July 10.

Horse of the Year Picture Takes Shape

The Horse of the Year title will be decided by the six-member judging panel from the winners of the respective championship categories, with Champion Griffin excluded from consideration.

Champion sprinter Ka Ying Rising is the sole nominee in the sprint division after another standout campaign over distances of 1400 meters and shorter.

The Champion Miler category features three contenders. My Wish, Romantic Warrior, and Voyage Bubble will contest the title covering races beyond 1400 meters but below 1800 meters.

Romantic Warrior is also the only nominee for both Champion Middle-Distance Horse and Champion Stayer, underlining the versatility shown by the multiple Group 1 winner across distances from 1800 meters and beyond.

Four-Year-Old and Griffin Categories

Four horses have been shortlisted for Champion Four-Year-Old. The nominees are Invincible Ibis, Little Paradise, Numbers, and Stormy Grove.

The Champion Griffin category, restricted to unraced imports that debuted in Hong Kong this season and were aged either two or three on January 1, 2026, will be contested by Baby Sakura, Hot Delight, Salon S, and Tycoon Resources.

Judging Panel

The Champion Awards are determined by a six-member judging panel comprising three representatives from The Hong Kong Jockey Club and three members of the Association of Hong Kong Racing Journalists.

Representing the Hong Kong Jockey Club are Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Executive Director, Racing Andrew Harding, and Head of Racing Product Greg Carpenter. The Association of Hong Kong Racing Journalists is represented by Chairman Carlos Wu, Vice-Chairman Cheung Kam Yau, and Committee Member Toto Wong.

The judging panel acknowledged the connections of each finalist for the performances produced throughout the season. The winners will be announced at the Champion Awards presentation ceremony on July 10, with the results also published on The Hong Kong Jockey Club's website.