Brett Davis provides exclusive Review of Sha Tin races.
Race 1 – FWD Insurance Act Private Handicap, HK $1,170,000
Class 4 – Turf – Distance 2000m - Track Yielding
Time: 2:03.41 Standard Time: 2:02.35 Course/Class record: 2:00.67 Full Power
Australian hoop Ben Thompson made every post a winner in the opening event, leading all the way aboard the Chris So-trained LEGION OF MERIT (NZ 7yo g Alamosa – Fantastic Honour). The flashy Grey was the first out of the barriers and he rolled forward to take up the running heading to the first turn. Thompson was able to hold the lead without a whole lot of pressure and he dictated the tempo throughout the middle stages. The Australian jockey began to up the tempo from the 600m point and he kicked away at the top of the straight, putting up a 2-1/2 length margin on his rivals. Thompson never gave his rivals a chance, keeping on strongly to the line to win comfortably by 1-1/4 lengths in an all-the-way victory. ROMANTIC FANTASY got away on terms from an inside alley and had enough early speed to hold his position along the inside, landing on the back of the leader as they sorted their order out. After tracking the leader throughout the race, he didn't have the sprint of the leader as Angus Chung placed the gelding under pressure rounding the home turn. He was left flat footed when the sprint went on, but he stuck on well down the straight to rally back in the closing stages and finish a clear second. ESCAPE ROUTE had sat on the outside of the leader in the run and hung in there when the sprint went on. He just felt the pinch late in the race on testing ground, fading to finish third.
Race 2 – FWD Insurance Goahead Group Handicap, HK $2,050,000
Class 3 – Turf - Distance 1600m - Track Yielding
Time: 1:34.76 Standard Time: 1:35.75 Course/Class record: 1:20.80 Perfect Pair
Australian jockeys took out the first two races as Blake Shinn guided home KARMA (AUS 5yo g Turn Me Loose – Lovingthelimelight) for the Caspar Fownes barn. From an outside draw, Shinn took the gelding back to the tail of the field on settling down, ending up a long way off the leader early in the race. Turning off the back, Shinn was spotting the leader 9-1/2 lengths with 800m to run, and was still a long way back as they worked around the home turn, being 7 lengths from the leader at the top of the stretch. After staying close to the inside turning for home, Shinn eventually tried to work his way into the clear wide out on the course. After being held up momentarily early in the straight, the five-year-old got the gap and he stormed home over the top. He took the lead inside the final 50m and was far too strong at the finish, winning by 1-1/4 lengths in a very eye-catching performance. VOYAGE SAMURAI jumped the $3.60 favourite and enjoyed a cosy run sitting off the leader. The pace was solid right from the outside and Derek Leung appeared to be in prime position through the middle stages. Stalking the leader and racing along the inside part of the track as they turned for home. He looked to have every chance in the straight as Leung set out to peg back the 2-1/2 length margin the leader had turning for home. He was chasing hard and eventually ran to the front with 100m to go, but he was blown out of the water by Karma who had the last crack at them. POWERFUL WINGS came with a strong run down the outside after settling a little worse than midfield in the run. He was closing off well, but he lacked the finishing speed of his other rivals, ending up in third position two lengths off the winner.
Race 3 – FWD Insurance ICBC (Asia) Handicap, HK $1,170,000
Class 4 – Turf - Distance 1200m - Track Yielding
Time: 1:09.67 Standard Time: 1:09.40 Course/Class record: 1:08.40 Master Eight
LUCY IN THE SKY (AUS 3yo g No Nay Never – Spiced) shed the maiden tag in a good win in tricky conditions. From barrier eight, Karis Teetan rolled forward to sit on the outside of the leader on settling down. The Me Tsui-trained gelding raced comfortably on the outside of the leader with a strong tempo being set through the early and middle stages. The three-year-old travelled strongly turning into the straight with Teetan moving a few horses off the inside to make his challenge. The gelding quickened well when asked and ran to the lead with 200m to run as the two leaders set down to fight it out. Lucy In The Sky showed superior strength over the concluding stages, pulling away inside the final 100m to win by 1-1/2 on the line. GLORY ELITE led the field throughout the event after taking up the running from barrier five. The tempo was strong throughout, but Derek Leung still had a good grip on his mount as they swung into the straight. He sprinted quickly and wouldn't go down without a fight as he and Lucy In The Sky pulled away from the rest of the field to do battle. He tried hard to hold the lead, but he was eventually out-gunned late in the race and finished a clear second. DIVANO was chasing hard out of the pack but never really made an impression, grinding away to finish 5 lengths off the winner in third.
Race 4 – FWD Insurance Bocom Handicap, HK $1,170,000
Class 4 – Turf - Distance 1400m - Track Yielding
Time: 1:22.64 Standard Time: 1:22.10 Course/Class record: 1:20.80 Perfect Pair
James McDonald got on the board in race five as RUBYLOT (AUS 3yo g Rubick – Emirates Comfort) notched up the second win of his career. After getting away on terms, the gelding showed good speed early to land in a handy position on the back of the leader. McDonald was smoking his pipe through the middle stages and as they turned for home, attempted to sneak up the inside rail. The leader wobbled back to the inside early in the straight, forcing McDonald to switch to the outside with the gelding beginning to eat into the margin. He began to storm over the top inside the final 150m of the race and it was all over with 100m remaining, with the three-year-old pulling away over the final stages to score by an impressive 3-3/4 lengths. CIRCUIT FIERY ran home strongly to claim second position under Zac Purton. The gelding settled off the speed and looked to be travelling comfortably through the middle stages of the race. Approaching the home turn, Purton began to urge the gelding along and he ducked back to the inside early in the straight to remain in clear air. He was chasing the eventual winner in the straight, but he couldn't chase him down, grinding away to eventually steal second position in the final few strides. GENEVA led the field turning for home and while he did sprint well at the top of the straight, he was unable to sustain his effort over the closing stages.
Race 5 – The Chairman's Sprint Prize, HK $22,000,000
Group One – Turf – Distance 1200m - Track Yielding
Time: 1:09.33 Standard Time: 1:08.20 Course/Class record: 1:07.50 Sacred Kingdom
The first of the Group One's on the card went the way of Hugh Bowman and INVINCIBLE SAGE (AUS 4yo g Thronum – Thorsborne) who came out victorious, handing David Hall his first elite level success since 2008. The gelding was one of the first out of the barriers and put himself right on the speed from a handy barrier. With plenty of pace on offer early, the gelding was able to drop in behind the leading pair and enjoy a trailing run through the middle stages. Bowman was still stalking the leaders as they turned for home and he had a strong hold of the four-year-old, getting off the inside and into the clear with 300m remaining. He quickened impressively when Bowman pressed the button and he went up to hit the front with 150m remaining, with the race over from that point. Invincible Sage drew away when hitting the front, scoring comfortably by 1-1/2 lengths. CALIFORNIA SPANGLE was looking to bring up the hat-trick of wins as he jumped well to sit on the outside of the leader in the run. The pace was hot early as California Spangle, Victor The Winner and Mad Cool all vied for the early lead, with Brenton Avdulla pouring the pressure on through the middle stages. As they turned for home, Avdulla moved up to take the lead, but he only held it momentarily as Invincible Sage blew by him late in the race. He would hold on for second position though in the run to the line, finishing 1-1/2 lengths away after jumping the $2.40 favourite. MUGEN was in last place on the turn but showed the turn-of-foot we know he has to quicken between runners and get into third position.
Race 6 – FWD Insurance Ncb Handicap, HK $1,860,000
Class 3 – Turf - Distance 1400m - Track Yielding
Time: 1:23.30 Standard Time: 1:21.80 Course/Class record: 1:20.62 Preciousship
It was a successful Hong Kong debut for TOP GUN (NZ 3yo g Time Test – Angel Child) – formerly known as Pushy in Australia – as he led all the way to score. The three-year-old showed plenty of speed from the outside barriers to burn across and take up the running on settling down. Karis Teetan was able to do as he pleased from that moment on, slowing the tempo as they turned off the back straight and packing the field up through the middle stages. The Mauritian hoop began to ramp up the tempo once again from the 600m point and still had a strong hold of his mount at the top of the straight with a number of rivals trying to reel him back in. Top Gun was being attacked on his outside and up on his inside too, but the gelding showed plenty of tenacity to fend off all his rivals in the straight, scoring an all-the-way victory by a neck and surviving a protest in the Steward's room. SECOND TO NONE got away well from an inside alley and took a sit in behind the leader, stalking Top Gun wherever he went throughout the event. As they turned for home, Top Gun got away from the inside which allowed Lyle Hewitson to sneak along the rail and try to go underneath the leader to make his challenge. As Hewitson was making ground, the leader drifted in a touch and made contact with Second To None on a few occasions which cost him any real chance of sticking his nose in front. While he was second across the line, Lyle Hewitson did lodge a protest against the winner, but the Stewards' dismissed the objection with both runners remaining in their finishing positions. LOST CHILD was following Second To None in the race and had a lovely trail up the inside early in the straight. Ben Thompson got off the rail late in proceedings as the gelding was hitting the line strongly, finishing in third position in an impressive effort.
Race 7 – The FWD Champions Mile, HK $22,000,000
Group One – Turf – Distance 1600m - Track Yielding
Time: 1:34.52 Standard Time: 1:33.80 Course/Class record: 1:32.64 Beauty Generation
The Champions Mile was taken out by a masterful Zac Purton ride, with BEAUTY ETERNAL (AUS 5yo g Starspandgledbanner – Ithacan Queen) scoring his first Group One win. There wasn't a whole lot of pace on offer when the gates first opened, which allowed Purton to stroll across from the widest barrier and take up the running. The pace was only moderate through the middle stages as Purton dictated the race, doing as he pleased out in front with no pressure being applied. The champion jockey increased the tempo from the 600m point and had plenty of his rivals off the bit and chasing around the home turn as Beauty Eternal quickened to be a length in front at the top of the stretch. He clocked a blistering 11.06 second sectional from the 400-200m points and essentially put the race to bed then and there. The gap Purton built at the top of the straight remained the same right to the wire, with Beauty Eternal winning comfortably by 1-1/2 lengths. RED LION ended up on the outside of the leader in the run and was cruising along comfortably on the outside of Beauty Eternal. He was able to hang in there when the pace went on from the 600m point, but Red Lion couldn't match the turn-of-foot shown by the winner at the top of the straight. He stuck on well though under the urgings of Bowman, holding on to second position in the run to the line despite jumping a $30 chance. VOYAGE BUBBLE was on the back of the leader in the run but much like Red Lion, he didn't have the sprint to match the winner. He was just grinding away in the straight, ending up in third place, beaten just 1-3/4 lengths with the champion Golden Sixty finishing in fourth.
Race 8 – The FWD QEII Cup, HK $28,000,000
Group One – Turf – Distance 2000m - Track Yielding
Time: 2:01.02 Standard Time: 2:00.50 Course/Class record: 1:59.23 Romantic Warrior
ROMANTIC WARRIOR (IRE 6yo g Acclamation – Folk Melody) made history as he secured his third QEII Cup in succession. Jumping from a wide barrier, James McDonald was left racing wide and without cover around the first turn as he looked to slot in aboard the $1.90 favourite. Shortly after turning into the back straight, the Kiwi hoop managed to land in a position midfield and one off the fence, enjoying a cosy run throughout. There was some mid-race moved from the back as the pace was just even in the middle stages, this allowed McDonald to get onto the back of one of his main rivals around the home turn and track them into the race. McDonald already had Romantic Warrior under pressure a long way from home but he just continued to find under the urgings, moving up on the outside of his rivals to hit the front with 150m to run. He was forced to fend off a challenge from his Japanese rival who wouldn't go away, but in the end Romantic Warrior was just too good, winning by a neck on the line. PROGNOSIS jumped the $5.40 third favourite and missed the start badly when going up in the air as the gates opened. He was a clear last as they turned down the back, but Yuga Kawada wasn't happy to sit around, moving three-wide down the back straight to ensure the tempo didn't slacken. He was then forced four-wide on the turn as rivals from his inside kept him out, but the Japanese visitor still looked to be travelling strongly as they turned into the straight. He was grinding away between runners, but he didn't have a match for Romantic Warrior as the local hero took the lead midway down the straight. Prognosis didn't go away though and was only a neck away right to the line, but he was unable to peg back the margin and was forced to settle for second. NORTH BRIDGE jumped a huge starting price of $101 and led the field throughout the race. He was taken on as they turned into the straight, but to the gelding's credit he put in a strong kick and got over two lengths away from his rivals with 300m remaining. He bumped into two outstanding horses on the day, but he did very well to finish in third position.
Race 9 – FWD Insurance Ccb (Asia) Handicap, HK $2,840,000
Class 2 – Turf - Distance 1400m - Track Yielding
Time: 1:22.33 Standard Time: 1:21.55 Course/Class record: 1:20.28 Fantastic Treasure
Danny Shum brought up a race-to-race double with SUPREME LUCKY (AUS 5yo Deep Field – Stealapipe) winning the ninth event with Matthew Poon in the saddle. The gelding was only fairly away from out wide and was left racing without cover in the early stags of the race. Poon worked around the outside of the field in the run, continuing to slide forward passing the 600m point as he faced the breeze. He was under the pressure as they turned for home and it looked as though he was a spent force at the top of the straight, but the five-year-old wouldn't lie down in the run to the line. He copped some contact midway down the straight, but it never affected him as Poon kept the gelding on the straight and narrow. Surpreme Lucky stuck his nose in front with 50m to run and held off his rival narrowly to get the nod in a photo finish. WONDER KIT got away well from a handy draw and was up on the pace early, before easing out of the battle and settling on the back of the leader. After tracking the speed throughout the event, Lyle Hewitson initially tried to dart up the inside at the top of the straight but had to change course at the 300m mark. He got off heels and raced alongside Supreme Lucky right to the line after bumping him around a furlong from the finish. There wasn't much between then all the way to the finish but Wonder Kit couldn't stick his nose in front at any point, with the official margin being a short head.
Race 10 – FWD Insurance CMB Wing Lung Bank Handicap, HK $1,860,000
Class 3 – Turf - Distance 1200m - Track Good
Time: 1:10.07 Standard Time: 1:09.05 Course/Class record: 1:08.11 Victor The Winner
It was a blow out in the final event on the card as PHOENIX LIGHT (AUS 6yo g Love Conquers All – Courtship) scored a comfortable win after jumping a $29 chance. After being a little slow into slide, Andrea Atzeni was able to settle in a position a little worse than midfield. He was racing between runners throughout the event and ended up in the second half of the field turning for home with rivals fanning around him. Phoenix Light was 4-3/4 lengths off the leader turning for home, but he was running on well between runners with plenty of gaps opening up for Atzeni to run through. To continue his run, the gelding ended up near the middle of the course as he continued his run, hitting top gear and storming over the top to win comfortably in the end, scoring by a length on the line. JAMES TAK enjoyed a lovely run in the one-out-one-back position for Jerry Chau. The local hoop peeled into the clear turning for home and the gelding looked to be travelling strongly under a hold as they turned for home. He sprinted quickly when asking for an effort but just wobbled about under pressure inside the final 150m. He never really took the lead as Phoenix Light came over the top as he was about to assume control, but he got his nose down on the wire to take second position. FULL CREDIT didn't get away to the best of starts and ended up on the outside of the leader in running. The last-start winner moved up to take the lead shortly after straightening and kicked away to lead by over a length midway down the straight. He was getting wound in by a few rivals, but they didn't catch him until the final stages. It was a strong effort up in grade and he's worth keeping an eye on.
