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Girl power to the fore at Sha Tin

08/10/2016

By David Morgan

Girl power ruled in the Class 2 Yuen Long Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin this afternoon, Saturday, 8 October, as Kei Chiong and the incongruously-named Lucky Girl, a gelding, of course, held all at bay for a dominant victory.

For Chiong, last season’s Champion Apprentice and the darling of Hong Kong racing, the win brought up a first double this season, and a front-running brace at that, having made all atop Snow Slider earlier on the card.   

The 7lb claimer angled Lucky Girl to the fore and claimed the fence without pressure from gate seven and there the duo remained. Chiong settled the rangy five-year-old into a raking rhythm, allowed her mount to relax through a steady third quarter and, with a length advantage turning in, kicked for home through a final 400m split of 22.74s. The winning time of 1m 33.49s set a new class record, bettering a mark that had stood since May, 1999.

“He’s a big horse with a long stride and when I looked at it beforehand I thought nothing would want to go on, so we would be able to go on and control the speed – but then he’s gone and run a class record, which is good for the horse,” said winning trainer Dennis Yip after watching his charge notch a third Hong Kong win at start 11.

“The main thing is that he keeps maturing. From last season to now his bodyweight has gone up and he’s much stronger – last season he was still very weak. I will try 1800 metres again, that will be no problem, but we’ll look at the programme and see. There’s an 1800-metre Class 2 race on the 23rd but after that I’ll have to see.”

Ultimate Glory, settled handily under Alex Lai, kept on for second a length and a half back as the pace-chasing California Disegno faded to third, another three quarters away under Matthew Chadwick.

Of Chiong’s earlier success atop Snow Slider in race four, the Class 4 Lau Fau Shan Handicap (1400m), winning handler Ricky Yiu said: “The seven-pound allowance made all the difference and Kei is improving as a rider. She took the horse to the front and that was the place to be on the track today.”

Tony Cruz and Zac Purton teamed up to lift the afternoon’s trophy race, the Class 3 Pok Oi Cup Handicap. Beauty Master had an ideal run down the straight 1000m to score by length and a quarter but all was not so straightforward down at the start.

“He was a bit touch and go in the gates – he wanted to play around a bit – so I was fortunate that the starter let us go right at the right time,” Purton said. “We got a good break as it turned out and we had a lovely run throughout. It was a good effort.”

Third-placed Dragon Master had beaten Beauty Master the time before, with Purton in the plate, but Michael Chang’s charge was tucked in a pocket on the outside fence. Beauty Master, holding a straight line, kept the bay penned in.

“I had my horse in the right spot and I just left him there,” Purton said.

Thor The Greatest finished a length and a quarter second under Joao Moreira as Beauty Master clocked 56.94s.

The Nicconi four-year-old took his Hong Kong record to two wins from nine starts, having achieved a two from four return in Australia pre-import. Owner Simon Kwok, whose horses all carry the ‘Beauty’ prefix, was delighted with the result, particularly as the straight 1000m is probably not the gelding’s forte.

“Even though he won around a turn overseas, before he came to Hong Kong, when he arrived here he started to hang out a lot, so we’ve kept him to 1000-metre races down the straight but the distance is a bit short for him,” Kwok said.

“He still hangs a bit, so it’s probable he will run at 1000 metres again next start – he’s still improving. He’ll still be in Class 3 so he might have another win in him down the straight course.”

Caspar Fownes continued his good run of form with a brace, starting with a win in race two, the Class 5 Kam Tin Handicap (1200m), thanks to Invisible and an accomplished piece of jockeyship from Joao Moreira. The Brazilian took the option of siding with the Fownes charge in the 14-runner heat despite the five-year-old being only a standby starter.

When top-weight Peace On Earth was scratched on Friday morning due to lameness, Invisible took the berth widest of all in gate 14.

“The gate looked a little bit tricky,” Fownes said. “He was drawn 14 but Joao rode such a lovely race. He had him on the rail after he’d gone a furlong and a bit, so it was a good ride and just nice to win on the line

That win was a first in Hong Kong at start 12 and ended a 14-race dry streak that stretched back to a first-up maiden win at Canterbury, Australia in December, 2013.

“The drop into Class 5 was helpful,” Fownes continued. “The horse has come down the ratings – obviously, he showed nothing last season but you like to think after they’ve been here 12 months they can start to improve a little bit, otherwise they’re hard work. Hopefully, after carrying 133 pounds there, he can come on from that. He’ll go up into Class 4 with a lower weight, over a little bit longer, and he’d be competitive now.”

Vanilla completed the Fownes double in race six, the Class 3 Ping Shan Handicap (1650m) on the all-weather track, with Keith Yeung in the plate. Yeung registered a brace of his own, the Danny Shum-trained Easy Touch scoring at odds of 61/1 in race three, the Class 4 Hung Shui Kiu Handicap (1200m).

Derek Leung, meanwhile, notched his 200th Hong Kong win when completing a double in tandem with Jolly Banner in the last, the Tin Shui Wai Handicap (1400m) – a result that gave Yiu a training double, too. Leung’s first for the day came on the Peter Ho-trained Master Gold in race five. Nash Rawiller and Me Tsui teamed up to win the first of the day with Diamond Bit.

Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday 12 October.

Beauty Master bursts clear from his rivals to win the Class 3 Pok Oi Cup Handicap at Sha Tin today.
Photo 1:
Beauty Master bursts clear from his rivals to win the Class 3 Pok Oi Cup Handicap at Sha Tin today.

Apprentice jockey Kei Chiong completes a double when she steers Lucky Girl wire-to-wire in the Class 2 Yuen Long Handicap.
Photo 2:
Apprentice jockey Kei Chiong completes a double when she steers Lucky Girl wire-to-wire in the Class 2 Yuen Long Handicap.

 

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