No nine-year-old horse has ever won the HK$28 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), but Khaadem is no ordinary horse.



He defied odds of 80/1 for a sensational victory in Britain`s premier sprint, the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1200m), in 2023 and became the race`s oldest winner when successful as an eight-year-old last year.



Now nine years old, Khaadem failed to shine in a handful of starts on home soil since then, but has found a new lease on life in the United States of America, most recently finishing an excellent third in the G1 Breeders` Cup Turf Sprint (1200m).



It has been the plan to target Sha Tin since then, and his trainer Charlie Hills is optimistic another international foray can bring out the best in Jim and Fitri Hay`s accomplished veteran.



“He`s been a brilliant horse for us,” Hills said. “I think he`s very nearly at the top of his game. He`s going to be ten next month, and nothing lasts forever, but he`s been running some great races – he won a Group 2 two starts ago and was third at the Breeders` Cup.



“It was a really good run at Del Mar. He came out of his race very well and it`s always been the plan to come to Hong Kong. He`s been in America since the Breeders` Cup and I think that will have been easier on him than coming home in between.”



Khaadem showed he still retained the winning spirit when successful in the G2 Woodford Stakes (1100m) at Keeneland on his penultimate start, producing a typically electric last-to-first run, and Hills expects his hold-up racing style to be well-suited to Sha Tin.



Blinkers were added to excellent effect at the Breeders` Cup, and while it is not yet known whether they will be used in Hong Kong, the Hills team can take confidence in their jockey booking, with Oisin Murphy set to reunite with the gelding for the first time since Royal Ascot last year.



Hills said: “He`d won in blinkers before when we were running him over five furlongs (1000m), but we took them off when we stepped him up to six furlongs (1200m). I`m not sure if he`ll wear them in Hong Kong or not.



“I think he`ll like Sha Tin, I can`t see the track being a problem, and he could almost train himself now. Once he`s racing, we can just keep him ticking over. He`s a very clean-winded, sound horse – he`s sounder now than he was when he was younger.



“He`s always had his quirks. He can be absolutely brilliant one day and then throw a wobbly. So, he`s certainly got his own character, but he`s grown up a lot while he`s in America and has really enjoyed training over there.”



Khaadem will have local champion Ka Ying Rising standing in his way on 14 December, but Hills is relishing the challenge of competing against such a spectacular talent.



“It`s going to be very interesting,” he said. “It wouldn`t be the end of the world finishing second to him, and in these sprints anything can happen. It`s about split decisions, and draws could come into it.”



The HK$130 million LONGINES Hong Kong International Races take place at Sha Tin on Sunday, 14 December.