Fans will flock to Sha Tin on Sunday hoping to see the great Golden Sixty scorch the turf for what could be the final time as the world’s highest-earning racehorse chases a record-extending fourth consecutive victory in the Group One Champions Mile.

With 26 wins, including 10 at Group One level, and north of HK$165 million in prize money, Golden Sixty is by far the most successful galloper Hong Kong has ever seen.

For much of this season, the talk has been around this being the indefatigable eight-year-old’s last campaign. Connections, however, are not so sure.

“We will see what he does on Sunday before we talk about retirement,” trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai said. “What if he wins by many lengths? It all depends. He really enjoys racing so we will let the horse tell us.”

Along with Lui and owner Stanley Chan Ka-leung, jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu has been with Golden Sixty every step of the way.

Like the three-time Horse of the Year, Ho has overcome injury to line up on FWD Champions Day. Unlike Golden Sixty, who boasts a hat-trick of Champions Mile wins, Ho is shooting for five straight in the HK$22 million feature after also snaring the race aboard Southern Legend in 2020.

Standing in Golden Sixty’s way is a fellow Hong Kong Derby winner, Voyage Bubble – who could be forgiven for being a whisker off his best after a torrid run in the recent Group One Dubai Turf (1,800m) – and the brilliant Galaxy Patch, who finished second in this year’s edition of the prestigious 2,000m Classic, while Japan’s Obamburumai leads the overseas hopes.

The other local champion with history in his sights on Sunday is Romantic Warrior, who will bid to become the first three-time winner of the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m).

In the saddle will be his gun fly-in, fly-out partner in crime James McDonald, who is one of nine overseas stars jetting in to ride at a meeting boasting a record 11 international runners.

With HK$127 million to his name across just 18 starts, it’s not ridiculous to think Romantic Warrior could one day knock Golden Sixty off the top of the prize-money tree.

Danny Shum Chap-shing’s superstar faces a couple of familiar foes who filled the placings behind him 12 months ago, Prognosis of Japan and Britain’s Dubai Honour, while last month’s Derby winner, Massive Sovereign, is his biggest local danger.

Massive Sovereign is undefeated in two Hong Kong starts and, like Romantic Warrior did in 2022, he will look to do the Derby-QE II Cup double in the same season.

While four Derby winners add much of the intrigue to Sunday’s two longer features, it’s 2022 runner-up California Spangle who tops the market for the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m).

Fresh off victory in Dubai’s Group One Al Quoz Sprint (1,200m), Tony Cruz’s born-again speedster will look to deliver his legendary handler a sixth Chairman’s Sprint Prize after he took out the first ever running aboard Ever Win back in 1979.

Victor The Winner and Japan’s Mad Cool loom as California Spangle’s closest market rivals after duking it out in the recent Group One Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1,200m), with Mad Cool prevailing on home soil and Victor The Winner running third.

Hong Kong’s weather has been a hot topic for much of the Champions Day buildup but should Saturday’s much-improved conditions carry over to Sunday, the Jockey Club is hopeful proceedings will get under way on a good track.