After a bronze and a silver, Golden Sixty climbed back atop the podium Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, dominating the Group 2, $606,000 Chairman’s Trophy.   Hong Kong’s best horse won for the 20th time in his career while slamming the door on his first two-race losing streak.   Golden Sixty might have had slim chance in the Hong Kong Gold Cup on Feb. 20. The 2,000-meter distance probably is farther than ideal, a yielding course definitely was less than ideal, and Golden Sixty had a tough draw in post 10. Circumstances aligned to produce a third-place finish. But Golden Sixty was the best horse Jan. 23, when he finished a close, closing second in the Stewards’ Cup, a 1,600-meter race that ended his winning streak at 16. Jockey Vincent Ho conceded he had left Golden Sixty too much to do in the Stewards’ Cup, dragging him far off a modest tempo.  “It was only supposed to be the last race when he got beaten, the one before, of course, I made a mistake,” Ho told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity after giving Golden Sixty a perfect trip in the Chairman’s Trophy.   Sunday’s tactics marked a dramatic change from the Golden Sixty camp. Even while he was racking up wins, Golden Sixty often was held far behind the lead, necessitating a dazzling late burst of speed to rally and win. Connections appeared to believe it was essential to hold him hard during the early and middle stages of his races. Turns out – on Sunday, at least – that’s not the case.  :: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, analysis, replays, and live streaming Breaking from post 1, Ho, rather than working to slow Golden Sixty down, let his mount run out of the gate. Golden Sixty had plenty of speed to get into a great position, racing fourth along the inside as Healthy Happy led over Ka Ying Star and Waikuku. Golden Sixty out-footed Tourbillon Diamond into the turn, allowing Ho to switch to the two path, drafting just behind Waikuku (the horse who had beaten him in the Stewards’ Cup) as the field went in two lines of six around the bend. As soon as the horses turned for home, Waikuku was pulled three wide, Ho going four paths off the fence for a clear run, and in 20 strides Golden Sixty had taken the lead. With a half-furlong left, Golden Sixty had opened up about 3 1/2 lengths, coasting across the finish a satisfying two-length winner.   “He’s an honest horse,” trainer Francis Lui said. “He can jump fast, and you can put him into any position.”  Golden Sixty, who paid $3.20, regularly has gotten his closing 400 meters in 21-plus seconds, but Sunday he needed only a 22.87 to win comfortably. Russian Emperor, the Gold Cup winner who prefers 2,000 meters, closed solidly to come out on top of a blanket finish for second. He was followed closely by Savvy Nine, Champion’s Way, Excellent Proposal, and More Than This.   As Group 1 winners within the last year, Golden Sixty and Russian Emperor carried 128 pounds, five more than the rest of the runners, save Waikuku. Waikuku ran poorly, fading to last. The HKJC stewards’ report said post-race examinations found nothing physically wrong with the gelding.   Golden Sixty was timed in 1:32.96 over “good” ground and will make his next start April 24 in the Group 1 Champions Mile, which he won last year. The Australian-bred 6-year-old gelding is by Medaglia d’Oro out of Gaudeamus, by Distorted Humor.  Wellington wins Sprint Cup Despite conceding five pounds to all the horses finishing close behind him, Wellington finished powerfully to capture the Group 2, $606,000 Sprint Cup earlier on the Sunday program. Wellington, closing from seventh under Alexis Badel, went his final 400 meters in 21.68 to prevail by a neck over Sight Success, cementing his position atop Hong Kong’s sprint ranks.   “He’s been the best sprinter in Hong Kong for some time,” trainer Richard Gibson told the HKJC. “He was carrying quite a big penalty today and I thought he showed some class and style once again.”  Badel gave Wellington every chance to show his class. The Sprint Cup field spread out into the turn as Badel was able to maneuver Wellington off the rail and into the two 2 path. Past the 500-meter mark, the horse he was following, Hot King Prawn, broke ranks for a three-wide bid, Badel and Wellington moving into his slipstream. At the 400-meter mark, the head of the homestretch, Badel spun about six paths wide, and Wellington took care of the rest with a sustained rally. He clocked 1:08.23 for the 1,200 meters and paid $10.80. Sight Success was one length better than Master Eight, the tepid favorite. Lightly raced, Master Eight still has room to improve. He sat second for much of Sunday’s race but pulled too hard around the turn, leaving him flat through the final 200 meters.   Wellington, now an eight-time winner from 14 starts, is a 5-year-old Australian-bred gelding by All Too Hard out of Mihiri, by More Than Ready. He’ll have his last start of the Hong Kong season on April 24 in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize, a race he won in 2021.