Tested by the travails of a challenging season, Jamie Richards combined with Zac Purton to end a frustrating run of outs at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (13 November) with a rare piece of good fortune before the last three races of the meeting were abandoned because of weather-related safety considerations.
Richards ended a 47-race run of outs when Lucky Touch landed the second section of the Class 4 Lung Cheung Handicap (1650m) – the second race on the card – before Hong Kong Jockey Club officials decided to abandon Races 7, 8 and 9 after the Hong Kong Observatory announced it would issue Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 at 11.10pm.
Acting to ensure the safety of trainers, jockeys, stable staff, Members, racecourse staff and attendees and Off-Course Betting Branch staff and customers, officials stopped the meeting after the running of race six.
Richards had not saddled a winner since Gallant Valour's triumph at Happy Valley on 9 October and the New Zealander was relieved to saddle his second victor of the campaign.
"It's been a bit of a slow start for the stable, the horses have been running well without winning but the team is working hard and hopefully we can go on with it from here," Richards said. "Zac gave him a beautiful ride and he was able to get across and get into a nice position.
"He's a horse that hasn't had a lot of luck through his career so far, but hopefully he can get a bit of confidence from tonight and keep going on. He just hadn't been having a lot of luck at Sha Tin and last season he trialled very well here, so we thought it was worth trying something different with him. Thankfully it worked. I'm hopeful the horse can keep improving."
Richards has had two winners, eight seconds and seven thirds from 89 starters this season, having posted 35 and 31 wins, respectively, across his first two campaigns.
While Richards was grateful, the endlessly ambitious Purton was philosophical after closing the abridged meeting with a double, scoring narrowly on Frankie Lor's Circuit Duffy in the first section of the Class 4 Lei Yue Mun Handicap (1200m).
"I feel a bit stiff not to have four winners, but two is good – it keeps the ball rolling," Purton said, alluding to possible missed opportunities in the abandoned races. The Australian now boasts 1,775 wins in Hong Kong as he closes in on Douglas Whyte's all-time record of 1,813.
Vincent Ho took his career tally of wins in Hong Kong to 599 when Happy Daily clinched the first section of the Class 4 Lung Cheung Handicap (1650m) for Dennis Yip before Mark Newnham and Luke Ferraris continued their burgeoning partnership with Street Conqueror's victory in the third section of the Class 4 Lei Yeu Mun Handicap (1200m).
"The season is ticking over nicely, going at a nice high strike rate and I'm just trying to keep that going," said Ferraris, who has 10 wins for the season, including six in tandem with Newnham.
"This horse was really good tonight. He had a nice soft draw (barrier one) and he was able to pop out and get into his rhythm and I just had to wake him up when the timing was right and he quickened up nicely and put the race to bed."
Hoping to strike with champion Romantic Warrior in the HK$5.35 million G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (17 November), Danny Shum scored with Champion Method in the Class 4 Hung Luen Handicap (1000m) under a superb ride by Andrea Atzeni.
Seemingly under pressure on the fence well into the straight, Champion Method was angled into the middle of the track by Atzeni and surged late to overall Lean Master by a neck.
Hong Kong International Sale graduate Kingly Demeanor made it two wins in a row for Tony Cruz with an all-the-way success in the Class 5 Ngau Chi Wan Handicap (2200m) under Keith Yeung. Winless in his first 11 starts, the Oasis Dream gelding has struck form with a vengeance this month.
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday (17 November) with Bank of China (Hong Kong) Race Day.
