South China Morning Post - Racing

Michael Chang looks for Simply Spectacular return from injury-riddled speedster

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 07:46:47 GMT

Michael Chang Chun-wai has been crying out for progressive, new horses and the affable trainer believes he might have one on his hands when Simply Spectacular steps out for the first time in 14 months on Sunday.The five-year-old was an impressive debut winner in November 2019 when trained by David Hall but suffered two consecutive tendon injuries which put him out of action for a considerable amount of time.With connections keen to race on, they moved the horse to Chang’s yard at the end of…

Jimmy Ting corrects The Anomaly as Tony Cruz’s Delightful Laos enhances Derby credentials

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 15:23:39 GMT

Jimmy Ting Koon-ho had never won with a debutant before Wednesday night but that anomaly was corrected by … The Anomaly.The son of Real Impact hadn’t shown a lot in three trials leading up to the second section of the Class Four Ice House Handicap (1,200m) but he looked a better animal come raceday with an eye-catching performance in his first start.Jockey Keith Yeung Ming-lun settled him in the second half of the field before The Anomaly let down strongly in the straight, rallying between…

Golden Sixty shines as Hong Kong slips down world rankings

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 06:09:43 GMT

Hong Kong racing’s period of transition has been highlighted by the release of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, with just 17 from the jurisdiction featuring on the list of 252 – the fewest since 2012.Francis Lui Kin-wai’s superstar Golden Sixty, who increased his winning streak to 12 in the Group One Stewards’ Cup on Sunday, is ranked the equal 10th-best horse on the planet with a rating of 124, alongside Japanese guns Almond Eye and Contrail, British miler Mohaather and Australian…

Joao Moreira reaps rewards after off-season extras: ‘people were laughing at me’

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 05:38:18 GMT

Joao Moreira believes coming back early from his off-season break sparked a stunning return to form which has him on track to post a 160-win total by the end of the season.The Brazilian has been the stand-out jockey this season after being forced to play second fiddle behind key rival Zac Purton for three seasons and he finds himself 23 victories clear of the Australian 40 meetings into the season.Moreira puts his run of form down to a boost in support, which he spent much of the off-season…

Blake Shinn, John Size, Christophe Soumillon and Golden Sixty: six takeaways from Classic Mile day

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 08:04:54 GMT

There was a lot to digest from Sunday’s action-packed day at Sha Tin, here are six observations.Closing split the key for Golden SixtyGreat horses find a way to win even when things don’t go their way.Golden Sixty’s explosive turn of foot means he can overcome obstacles most horses cannot.The way the Stewards’ Cup was run was not favourable for Francis Lui Kin-wai’s champ – a crawl early and a sprint home late is tough for all backmarkers.Golden Sixty gets there!That's 12 wins in a row and his…

Caspar Fownes turns to Happy Valley after ‘heart-wrenching’ Classic Mile

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 06:52:32 GMT

Caspar Fownes will head to Happy Valley on Wednesday night looking to put Sunday’s “heart-wrenching” loss of big-name import Enrich Delight behind him.The four-year-old – who raced as Chenier in Australia – broke down during the Classic Mile at Sha Tin and was euthanised after suffering multiple fractures in his left fore fetlock.“It was heart-wrenching, he was such a lovely horse,” Fownes said. “Who knows what his future could have been, he was just the right horse for Hong Kong.”Top win…

Beauty Generation bids farewell to Hong Kong: ‘it’s definitely an emotional day’

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 12:20:24 GMT

An emotional Patrick Kwok Ho-chuen had to dab away a few tears as his superstar Beauty Generation paraded around Sha Tin for the final time on Sunday.Only Hong Kong’s very best are afforded the privilege of a farewell ceremony – Able Friend, Aerovelocity, Designs On Rome and Douglas Whyte have been celebrated in recent years – but with the Covid-19 restrictions in place, Beauty Generation’s presentation was more low-key.Unable to be feted by the fans – or his trainer John Moore, who flew to…

Blake Shinn and Excellent Proposal emerge victorious after drama-filled Classic Mile

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 11:54:40 GMT

Blake Shinn capped off a tumultuous week which saw him sacked from a Group One ride on Tuesday to win a drama-filled Classic Mile on Sunday aboard $23 hope Excellent Proposal.The result epitomises the up-and-down nature of Hong Kong racing, with Shinn having just 23 winners from 621 rides before the breakthrough in the HK$12 million feature aboard the John Size-trained galloper, who was disregarded by punters after a disappointing last-start performance.The Australian got the call-up from Size…

Golden Sixty extends winning streak to 12 despite close shave: ‘I knew I would get there’

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 10:48:20 GMT

It was a little bit tighter than punters would’ve liked but Hong Kong superstar Golden Sixty extended his winning streak to 12 despite a few challenges in Sunday’s Group One Stewards’ Cup.The final margin was a head – the gutsy Southern Legend as honest as ever in second – but jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu was always confident Francis Lui Kin-wai’s once-in-a-lifetime horse had everyone covered, despite a handful of things going wrong in the run.Given his form, it was hard to see Golden Sixty being…

John Size continues sprint dominance as Hot King Prawn finally sizzles at Group One level

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 10:27:56 GMT

John Size continued his dominance of Hong Kong’s elite-level sprints and Hot King Prawn finally got his Group One victory in the Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.After three Group One placings, the super-consistent grey finally tasted top-flight success with his 12th victory of a career that was nearly stopped in its tracks by a colic attack two years ago.“There’s been some frustration previously that he hasn’t won a Group One but in fairness he has run into some very smart…

Zac Purton turns to Shadow Hero to help fill in a glaring hole in his glittering CV

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 07:07:15 GMT

Zac Purton has almost won all there is to win in Hong Kong racing, but there is a glaring gap in his CV when it comes to the Classic Series.The four-time champion jockey has never won the Classic Mile or Cup and admits he has struggled to get on the right four-year-old in time to win, with his Derby victory aboard the John Size-trained Luger in 2015 only coming after Douglas Whyte opted to ride Giant Treasure instead.A new chapter in the four-year-old series will be created on Sunday, with…

After two decades as the hunter, Francis Lui becomes the hunted thanks to Golden Sixty

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 05:25:00 GMT

Francis Lui Kin-wai spent two decades as the hunter so he admits it is a different feeling waking up each morning as the hunted thanks to his superstar Golden Sixty, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.The veteran handler has had good horses come and go from his stable over a 25-year career, but never one of Golden Sixty’s calibre, who is primed to grab his second Group One on Sunday in the Stewards’ Cup (1,600m), where he will be a prohibitive odds-on favourite.The five-year-old is the great…

No longer Eric The Eel, Classic Mile contender Tourbillon Diamond finds his speed

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 04:24:21 GMT

There were question marks over his speed when Tourbillon Diamond was imported from Australia but those queries turned out to be unfounded and now he is looking to add his name to the Classic Mile honour roll.Formerly known as Eric The Eel, the four-year-old had a cult following more for his catchy name rather than his grinding running style which saw him perform best over 2,400m before being sold to Hong Kong.Between his A$7,000 (HK$42,000) yearling price tag and his unfashionable running style…

Caspar Fownes’ giant-slayer Rise High returns with Golden Sixty in his sights

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 04:08:44 GMT

He halted Beauty Generation’s famous winning streak at 10 and now Caspar Fownes is looking to end Golden Sixty’s 11-win tear with the same horse.With Beauty Generation seemingly invincible at the time, Fownes caused an upset of epic proportions when his rising star Rise High toppled the champ in the Group Two Sha Tin Trophy (1,600m) in 2019, stunning punters.He backed it up five months later when Southern Legend nosed out Beauty Generation in the Group One Champions Mile, all but bringing the…

Hot King Prawn will never get a better chance to taste Group One glory

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 09:48:58 GMT

Hot King Prawn will never get a better chance to capture that elusive Group One win than in Sunday’s Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin.Few horses have been as consistent at the top level as John Size’s grey but it doesn’t change the reality that one thing is missing from his resume.It seemed a fait accompli Hot King Prawn would reach racing’s pinnacle after winning 10 of his first 11 runs and he started a $2.10 favourite in the 2018 Hong Kong Sprint at start 12.After bouncing straight to the lead…

Singapore sensation Ruan Maia to join Hong Kong jockey ranks

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 08:22:38 GMT

Singapore sensation Ruan Maia will make the move to Sha Tin after being lured by the Jockey Club to ride in the city for the rest of the season.The Brazilian will join the Hong Kong riding ranks from March 1 after it was announced on Thursday he had accepted the offer to make the move.Maia went within three victories of winning the jockeys’ championship in his first season in Singapore last year and is currently the leading rider in the jurisdiction.After previously competing in Macau from 2016…

Frankie Lor dreams of repeating Classic Mile heroics with in-form pair

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 08:11:10 GMT

Two years after training the quinella in the Classic Mile in his second season, Frankie Lor Fu-chuen enters the 2021 edition of the race dreaming of repeating the dose with a pair of in-form gallopers.Healthy Happy and Celestial Power enter the first leg of the four-year-old series after last-start wins and Lor expects them to be right around the mark.“This race looks very strong. Caspar Fownes’ two horses [Sky Darci and Enrich Delight] look quite strong, but anything can happen,” he said,…

Francis Liu feeling Golden ahead of Sha Tin features after Happy Valley treble

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 15:20:10 GMT

With Hong Kong’s best horse Golden Sixty and Classic Mile contender Lucky Patch lining up, Francis Lui Kin-wai will have a big say in Sunday’s features at Sha Tin and he heads to the races in top form after notching a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.While the big guns were safely tucked away in their stables, it was some of Lui’s lesser lights who shined during the midweek card in the promising Stock Legend, reliable veteran Winston’s Lad and the untapped Igniting.Stock Legend was the…

Tony Cruz makes another jockey change as he looks to reboot Computer Patch

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 05:08:35 GMT

Computer Patch will have his fourth different jockey in as many starts for Sunday’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) and it’s Matthew Chadwick who will be tasked with extracting the best out of the sprinter.Chadwick produced a win and a second from two attempts on Computer Patch last season and is confident the four-year-old is capable of producing the goods despite a disappointing last-start failure as the $1.60 favourite in the Group Three Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (1,000m).“There’s no…

Blake Shinn stripped of Group One ride after failing to turn up for trial

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 09:22:04 GMT

A lapse in concentration has proven costly for Blake Shinn, with the Australian jockey losing the ride on Stronger for Sunday’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) after forgetting to partner the horse in a trial on Tuesday morning.Shinn was slated to ride Douglas Whyte’s sprinter in the sixth of 10 trials at Sha Tin but was nowhere to be seen when it came time to don the galloper’s yellow and black silks, prompting the South African trainer to hand Tony Piccone the mount for this weekend’s…