By Andrew Hawkins
Three days after scoring the biggest success of his Hong Kong career to date, jockey Chad Schofield has high hopes of continuing his strong recent form with a win aboard World Record in the Class 3 Volunteers’ Challenge Cup Handicap (1650m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (8 February).
Schofield won the G3 Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m) on Danny Shum-trained Supreme Profit on Sunday (5 February), his first international Group race victory since he arrived at Sha Tin 18 months ago, and the 22-year-old said he was still buzzing from the win days later.
“It was a great thrill,” Schofield said at Sha Tin trackwork on Tuesday morning (7 February). “I thought going in that he was a small lightweight chance but I didn’t expect him to be as strong through the line as he was. Hopefully, we can continue to ride well, and World Record is a good chance on Wednesday night.”
The jockey partnered World Record (116lb) to two victories over the Sha Tin 1400m in Class 4 late last year before the four-year-old finished second to Smiling Charm over that same course and distance at his last start on 14 January. The Tony Millard-trained gelding now steps up to Class 3 off a rating of 62 and heads to the Happy Valley 1650m for his first attempt at the tight city circuit.
“It’s going to be interesting having him at the Valley for the first time,” said Schofield. “He’s in very good form, his last three runs he’s won two of them and he wasn’t far off in the other. He’s up in grade now, but I think the drop in weight is really going to suit him, he’s not a big horse and he’s quite lightly framed so to be carrying topweight in Class 4 as opposed to bottom weight in Class 3, I think he’s got enough ability to handle Class 3 and the light weight is a big bonus too.”
The 1650m trip also holds no concerns for Schofield, who points to the gelding’s pedigree as a good indicator that he will relish the extra distance.
“He’s by Savabeel so the 1650m shouldn’t be an issue,” the rider said. “Those that see out 1400m at Sha Tin tend to be able to see out 1650m at Happy Valley. It’s not a big jump. If we can have a nice run from barrier nine, then we’ll be right there. We need him to relax well, though, as he can be quite keen, but if everything goes right with the light weight, expect him to go very close.”
World Record meets 11 rivals, including this season’s course and distance winners Big Bang Bong (133lb) and Chater Legend (132lb), as well as Tony Cruz-trained Bullish Smart (130lb), who finished second to Nitro Express at his most recent start over the Happy Valley 1650m on 25 January.
“I thought I was in the right spot last start, we just got touched off on the line,” said jockey Silvestre de Sousa, who partnered Bullish Smart last start and reunites with the six-year-old once again on Wednesday. “He ran a great race. He looks like he is suited by this grade and he should be competitive if he gets an easy run.”
The Volunteers’ Challenge Cup Handicap is to be run as the seventh of eight races on the Happy Valley card and is scheduled for 10:15pm.
O’Sullivan back to the present and after Grade One success
Trainer Paul O’Sullivan has switched his focus from the future to the present after a week of sourcing new blood for his stable. The New Zealander spent last week in his homeland at the Karaka Yearling Sales, identifying a number of horses that he hopes will eventually join his Sha Tin yard.
“We bought a number of horses, but probably about five Hong Kong-type colts,” the handler said. “They will all be gelded shortly, but hopefully they can all run! But we’ve got Happy Valley to focus on first.”
O’Sullivan has four runners at the midweek meeting, headed by debut runner-up Grade One.
The son of Manhattan Rain was sent off at 65/1 and was just nosed out by Bond Elegance at his first start on the Sha Tin all-weather track on 18 January, but the trainer believes the gelding is well-suited to the turf and will be a force to be reckoned with in the first section of the Class 4 Sports Road Handicap (1200m) on Wednesday night, set to jump at 8:15pm.
“He did surprise us a little bit,” O’Sullivan said. “He’d started off very slowly in his trials and just steadily improved. His last trial was very good, but it was still a pleasant surprise. He’s come through it very well, he should improve with the race and he is experienced around the Valley so I expect him to be competitive.”
That previous Happy Valley test came in a 1000m barrier trial at the track in mid-December, when the three-year-old ran out a two and a quarter length victor.
“He trialled very well that day,” he said. “But of course, there’s a big difference between daytime trials and night racing. Still, he’s got good tactical speed and he should be able to put himself right in the race.
“He’ll have no problems in Class 4, I know that, but where they go from there, it’s hard to say.”
Zac Purton will ride Grade One (129lb), with the jockey and trainer also combining with Lamarosa (129lb) in the night’s final event, the Class 3 Wong Nai Chung Handicap (1200m).
“He’s got to overcome a pretty wide draw, it’s going to make his job pretty difficult,” O’Sullivan said. “But I think he’ll be much better suited going back to the Valley, even though his last run was good enough at Sha Tin. It just depends on what sort of run he gets from the gate, but waiting until the last race and drawn 11, it’s not ideal!”
The Wong Nai Chung Handicap closes the card and is scheduled for 10:50pm, with the first, the Class 5 Bowrington Handicap (1650m), to get underway at 7:15pm.
|
Photo 1:
World Record lands back-to-back victories at Sha Tin earlier this season.
|
Photo 2:
Grade One (red and yellow cap) finishes a gallant second in his Hong Kong debut last month.
|
