Another Amazing Macau Win By Wonder Mossman

Macau’s amazing Wonder Mossman scored his 15th race win at Taipa on Sunday with another easy victory over 1200 metres.

Ridden for the first time by Brazilian jockey Leo Salles, Wonder Mossman took control of the race soon after the start.

From then on it was game over with the son of Mossman coasting to the line to beat Oh So Easy (Cliffy Lai) by two and a quarter lengths, with Yanson (Peter Ho) one and a quarter lengths back in third.

Wonder Mossman carried his 133 pounds with ease and gave away 17 pounds to all bar one horse in the eight horse field. When the clock stopped it was a slick 1.08.4 recorded by the 7YO on a track rated good to yielding, just .04 outside of Tron Kingdom’s class record.

Prepared by K C Chong Wonder Mossman was backing up from his shock defeat in the Class 1 & 2 over 1500 metres eight days before.

On that occasion again giving away 17 pounds to the rest of the field, the gelding worked hard under his 133 pounds to cross from barrier 13 to lead, but was then let run way too hard by rider Horace Lam to set up a massive lead mid race.

Wonder Mossman still had a six lengths margin on the pack at the two fifty mark, but the effort told and he compounded to run fifth beaten just over a length with the race going to his stable-mate Perfect Alloy.

After Sunday’s win Leo Salles one would assume will take over as regular rider for the bay gelding who will most likely be aimed at the Star of The Sand Stakes over 1500 metres on August 13.

Wonder Mossman won the race in 2014 when it was run over 1700 metres posting a new track record at the time of 1.44.2.

Leo Salles booted home three winners over the weekend to edge him a little closer to Luis Corrales in the riders standings with the score 55 Corrales against 48 Salles with nine racedays remaining.

• AUSTRALIAN import Sweet Korean made it four wins straight with another strong win in the Class 2 & 3 over 1200 metres on Sunday.

Ridden by regular jockey Ryan Curatolo, Sweet Korean mowed down the tear-away leader Happy Bunny to win by one and a quarter lengths on the line, with the fast finishing Let Me Run a nose away in third.

Prepared by Korean trainer Kenny Seo, Sweet Korean is a vastly improved galloper that keeps rising to the occasion with each step up in grade.

The son of Wilander started his winning run on a rating of 58 with a win in Class 3 & 4 back in May and after Sundays win would be nudging the 90 mark in the handicaps.

The run by the second placed lightweight Happy Bunny was outstanding as he was let rip at a suicidal pace by jockey Roger Yu.

The son of Fully Fledged had a seven lengths break on Sweet Korean coming to the turn. Ryan Curatolo on Sweet Korean had resisted the urge to chase him mid race with his 133 pounds and never got serious on the winner until the top of the straight, when he sent the gelding after Happy Bunny to mow him down over the last one hundred metres.

The very promising More Than Happy made it win number four on the all weather surface on Saturday evening in the Class 2 over 1600 metres.

Ridden by Dubai based Irish rider Wayne Smith, More Than Happy powered to the line to beat Harbour Star (Peter Ho) who chalked his sixth second placing on the sand, with race favorite Pacer Bahhare (Luis Corrales) running on well for third.

More Than Happy is a four year old son of the 2004 Irish Derby winner Grey Swallow, the only one yet to race in Macau and has now won a total of five races in the enclave, including one on the turf, and placed a five times from only 18 runs.

In the ride of the weekend New Zealand’s Andrew Calder produced a 12 out of 10 effort to get race favorite Great China home in the Class 4 over 1200 metres.

Calder was not in a rush out of the gates as he came back and positioned the son of Sequalo (Aus) at the tail of the field against the fence in the run.

With the patience of Job, Calder just bided his time from a difficult position coming to the turn when still back in last spot before they opened up on the inside over the last two hundred metres.

Great China powered home right over the top of Wan Shi Sheng Li (Akash Aucharuz); with Nam Kee’s Treasure (Peter Ho) close up in third.

The win was fitting as the K H Leong trained galloper had shared first place with Wan Shi Sheng Li at the end of June in a dead heat after striking sever interference over the last two hundred metres from another runner.

The win gave Andrew Calder a double for the weekend with Alan Tam trained Best Double winning the Class 6 over 10505 metres on Friday night.