A strong win in Saturday’s G2 Spring Trophy at Taipa has put the Sio Cheong trained Sandtop right back on track in his quest for Macau Derby glory.
Sporting blinkers for the second time, Sandtop under regular rider Peter Ho powered to the line too strongly to beat Best Of Luck (Andrew Calder) by a length, with Bo Bo So Cute (Leo Salles) a distant third.
It appeared that a busy campaign was taking its toll on the gelding and trainer Sio Cheong opted to try him with blinkers in the 4YO Prelude (Group 3) on January 30 where he ran a distant second to Kelowna Star.
Track conditions on that day were extremely heavy and that most certainly could have played a part, however on the surface he did race like a horse that was flat.With the better track conditions Saturday it was the old Sandtop in action as he produced his powerful finishing burst to win with authority.
The Macau Guineas over 1500 metres the first leg of the Macau Triple Crown will be the next assignment for Sandtop where he gets his chance to even the score with Kelowna Star.Like Kelowna Star the 1800 metres of the Derby is going to be right up his alley and at this stage they appear by far to be the dominant pair for the race.
Bo Bo So Cute again ran on ok for third in Saturday’s race and is a class act on his day evidenced by his six wins from seven of his runs last season as a three year old, but nowadays is racing very dour.Saturday’s meeting was the first for the Year Of The Monkey and it proved to be a lucky omen for jockey Cash Wong and trainer Pat Lee.
Fired out of gate 13 by Cash Wong the son of Guillotine led them on the bridle easily in the run and then kicked further ahead at the two hundred to win by five at the line from Brave Panda (Charles Perkins), with Central Station (Leo Salles) a length back in third.
The four year old has now on five races and placed eight times from his 22 race starts and is nudging the $HK1.2 million in stakes money for popular owner Vincent Li.* OLIVIER Doleuze is making the most of his brief stay in Macau with a winning double on Saturday’s card to give him four winners from his first 16 rides.
Doleuze only returned to race riding on January 29 and teamed up with his good friend trainer Alan Tam to take out the last two races on the program.Luck Of The Dragon scored off a lovely ride by the Frenchman in the Good Year Handicap over 1700 metres to make it win number eight for the seven year old son of Amadeus Wolf.
Doleuze was first to break on the grey gelding and looked keen to lead early but quickly surrendered to All Thrills and Rush’N Prince who set a solid tempo on the lead.Stepping off the back of All Thrills after the seven hundred proved the perfect move as All Thrills compounded from the five hundred. Doleuze was in the perfect position on straightening to dash away and pinch three lengths on the race favorite River’s Elite (Leo Salles).
Salles and River’s Elite followed Doleuze in the run and when Doleuze cleverly held up until in the straight before kicking, Rivers Elite was momentarily stalled behind him. The beaten margin says it all with Rivers’ Elite wearing down Luck Of The Dragon’s three length start to be beaten only a neck on the wire.So Sweet proved to be just that for Doleuze and Tam in the last of the day when he stormed home right down the outside to win running away in the Good Health Handicap over 1500 metres.
The day wasn’t all bad though for Leo Salles with the young Brazilian ringing in the Year of The Monkey with a quick double in the first two races of the day.Salles gave Great River a perfect 10 ride to win the first of the day the Happiness Handicap over 1500 metres for trainer Sio Cheong, and then produced another faultless rails hugging ride on Dengcheng One for James Moore in the second event The Longevity Handicap over 1200 metres.
