The 1200m contest’s upgrade brings the total number of Hong Kong Group 1 races to 12 and follows the Asian Pattern Committee’s endorsement of an application from the Hong Kong Pattern Committee.

The Centenary Sprint Cup was run at international Group 2 level in 2017 following 16 years as a domestic Hong Kong Group 1.

The list of past winners includes two-time winners Silent Witness (2004, 2005), Sacred Kingdom (2010, 2011), Eagle Regiment (2012, 2013) and Peniaphobia (2015, 2017), along with former Hong Kong Horse of the Year Grand Delight (2003), and Champion Hong Kong Sprinters Absolute Champion (2008) and Aerovelocity (2016).

This will be the third consecutive season in which the Centenary Sprint Cup is contested over 1200m after having been run over 1000m for most of its history.

The race is scheduled for Sunday, 28 January 2018, at Sha Tin Racecourse.