By David Morgan
Douglas Whyte was jubilant when Jetwings flew to an impressive win in the Class 2 Waterfall Bay Handicap (1200m) to round off proceedings at Happy Valley tonight, Wednesday, 15 March, but across town in Sha Tin, Zac Purton must have been cursing his own ill-fortune.
The flying chestnut was one of three winners on the night that would have gone to Purton had not the former champion jockey been a late scratching due to illness.
But with Purton sidelined, Whyte, Brett Prebble and Derek Leung made hay. And the 13-time past champion Whyte crowned the night atop a sprinter that had been a youngster of exciting potential before injury put him out of action for 14 months.
“You’ve got to give full credit to the owners because they’ve done everything right by the horse,” said winning trainer Richard Gibson, for whom the Jet Spur five-year-old was his fifth score of the campaign. “He had a minor suspensory strain last year and they did all the right things. They took him for paddock rest in Australia, they were patient with him.”
Tonight’s concluding contest saw Jetwings recapture the form that had seen him land his first two Hong Kong races down the Sha Tin straight back in early 2015. And he notched a third success at start eight, his second since returning from his setback, with a home stretch surge that secured a cosy three quarters of a length win from Super Turbo.
“He came back and the first race was perfect, it was very encouraging, and then tonight was better! We were a little pessimistic tonight because of the draw (12),” said Gibson, whose misgivings were echoed in the market, the Jet Spur gelding returning at 36/1.
Spare ends Prebble drought
Nashashuk may never live up to his name but Prebble was happy enough with the four-year-old’s modest Class 4 breakthrough in the night’s trophy contest, the Ebenezer School & Home for the Visually Impaired 120th Anniversary Cup Handicap (1200m).
The jockey ended a 13-meeting shut-out atop the four-year-old, whose Native American name means “Chief of the horses”, according to part-owner Gregory Holmes.
“I wouldn’t have wanted two more strides or he would have been eaten up,” Prebble said after the John Size-trained galloper had held the fast-closing debutant Empire Star by a head to score at start six.
The Australian ace was a late call-up to partner the Northern Meteor gelding, a 4.1 shot, after Purton was ruled out. That paved the way for a first Prebble success since Sweet Bean’s Class 5 score at Sha Tin on 18 January.
“The way this horse has been racing, he was coming to win one; whether it was tonight or another night, he was thereabouts, so thankfully he saluted for me tonight. I’ve needed it!”
Doleuze gets a 10 from Fownes
Caspar Fownes struck a double from only five runners on the card and the handler had praise for both winning jockeys, particularly Olivier Doleuze. The veteran Frenchman notched his 11th win of the campaign and his third from the past two Happy Valley fixtures.
“That was a ten out of ten ride for Ollie, he deserves that,” Fownes said after watching Doleuze make a race-winning move aboard 8.6 chance Winaswewish with 650m remaining of the Class 4 Mount Davis Handicap (1650m).
“It was a great ride, he got the horse in a good position; the sectionals just looked a little bit slow and he just took off at the right time – it was a winning move. I’m very happy for Ollie, he’s been riding really well since he’s come back, he needs some more support – he’s doing a great job and hopefully some people will give him a chance. He deserves to be given an opportunity because he’s a very good jockey.”
Vincent Ho kicked off the Fownes brace in tandem with 2.8 favourite Jumbo Happiness, a graduate of last year’s Hong Kong International Sale. The Fastnet Rock four-year-old charged centre-track to overhaul the Joao Moreira-ridden Cheer Win close home and seal the opening Class 4 Pok Fu Lam Handicap (1200m).
“It was nice for the horse to get his first win and hopefully he’ll start to improve now. He’s a little bit young and he just needed the blinkers to sharpen him up. The draw (gate 1) helped him and it was a good ride by Vincent,” Fownes said.
“The horse gets a little bit excited at Sha Tin saddling up, he’s still a little bit immature but later on he’s going to get a longer distance. Slowly, slowly, he’ll start to improve.”
Joao Moreira notched a treble, kicking off with the Tony Millard-trained Golden Partners in the Class 5 Kong Sin Wan Handicap (1800m). The champion jockey then helped Size to a double with a win on the champion trainer’s Wayfoong Vinnie in the Class 3 Sha Wan Handicap (1000m); and Pikachu wrapped things up with a comfortable victory under top-weight in the Class 3 Tin Wan Handicap (1650m).
And Leung, like Prebble earlier, benefitted from Purton’s discomfort as he picked up a winning spare on the Paul O’Sullivan-trained Harrier Jet in the Class 3 Shek Pai Wan Handicap (1200m).
Hong Kong racing resumes at Sha Tin on Sunday, 19 March when Rapper Dragon will attempt to see off 13 talented rivals in the BMW Hong Kong Derby. If successful, John Moore’s charge would become the first horse to win all three legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series.
Photo 1: Douglas Whyte steers Jetwings to an impressive victory in the Waterfall Bay Handicap.
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Photo 2: Nashashuk gets the better of Empire Star to win the Ebenezer School & Home For The Visually Impaired 120th Anniversary Cup with Brett Prebble on board.
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Photo 3: Olivier Doleuze celebrates victory after Winaswewish crosses the line first in the Mount Davis Handicap.
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