Category: Hong Kong

Ben So is surprised and delighted after Top Military’s success. Photo: HKJC Top Military (NZ) (Swiss Ace) delivered a bazooka of a shock in section two of the Class 4 Staunton Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday to help jockey Ben So to his first double since November 2016. The six-year-old became the longest-priced winner at Happy Valley since Hong Kong racing turned professional in 1971, rattling home at odds of 283/1 under So to pip the 1.6 favourite Sky Show (NZ) (Showcasing). “Unbelievable!” So said after weighing in.…

Karis Teetan drives Reliable Team to victory. Photo: HKJC Reliable Team’s (NZ) (Reliable Man) battling win in the Class 2 Cochrane Handicap (1800m) ensured Karis Teetan enjoyed a memorable 30th birthday at Happy Valley on Wednesday. The Frankie Lor-trained grey capped a celebratory double for the ‘Mauritian Magician’ following Murray’s Partners’ (NZ) (Towkay) success in race three. “It’s nice to get a winner on a special day and I hope the luck can keep going,” Teetan said after marching to 76 wins for the term, eight short of last season’s…

Ricky Yiu is aiming to become champion trainer for the first time. Photo: HKJC Ricky Yiu is hoping a first Hong Kong win for Super Oasis (NZ) (Rock ‘n’ Pop) in Wednesday’s Class 2 Cochrane Handicap (1800m) at Happy Valley can provide the spur he needs to repel Tony Cruz’s mounting challenge for the champion trainer title. Cruz has trimmed Yiu’s lead at the top down to five (57-52) with 10 wins since the start of May against the championship leader’s four. But on Wednesday, Cruz has only three entries…

Ready To Run Sale graduate Master Montaro receives a pat from Michael Walker when winning at Geelong on Friday Photo: Reg Ryan/Racing Photos Master Montaro (Toronado) will do his future racing in Hong Kong, after winning his second start in effortless fashion at Geelong on Friday in a BM70 Handicap over 1140m. The New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale graduate came from last to amble past his rivals when winning on debut at Pakenham in March for trainer Richard Laming. The three-year-old gelding was part-owned by a group of…

Zac Purton and Beauty Generation. Photo: Daryl Sherer Zac Purton has taken advantage of Joao Moreira’s absence to kick three wins clear in the race for the Hong Kong jockeys’ premiership with a winning treble at Sha Tin. After four wins apiece on last Sunday’s program, Purton and Moreira remained level-pegging in this season’s title race on 123 wins. Moreira had to sit out Wednesday night’s nine-race meeting conducted on the all-weather track because of a suspension and Purton has been able to capitalise, taking his season tally of wins…

Amazing Star winning under Zac Purton. Photo: HKJC Happy Valley specialist Amazing Star (NZ) (Darci Brahma) is shooting for his fifth win at the city circuit this season when he faces off against talented rivals in the Class 2 Ho Chung River Handicap (1200m) on Wednesday. The Jimmy Ting trainee has relished racing around the Valley’s tight turns and has enjoyed a rapid rise, with four wins from five starts this season having doubled his rating to a career-high mark of 100. A win on Wednesday would put the New…

Dublin Star at the 2018 Ready to Run sale. Photo: Supplied Jockey Antoine Hamelin continued his recent good form at Sha Tin on Sunday when he guided home the Manfred Man-trained Dublin Star (NZ) (Savabeel) to win the Class 4 Tai Mong Tsai Handicap (1000m). The Savabeel four-year-old was beaten as an odds-on favourite in his first two starts and had remained prominent in the market since then, but finally broke through for his first victory at his sixth start. Bred by Waikato Stud, Dublin Star was among one of…

President’s Choice. Photo: HKJC The Michael Chang-trained President’s Choice (Redoute’s Choice) will shoot for a hat-trick of wins this Sunday as he contests the Class 3 Pak Sha O Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin. “He’s won two nice races, he’s a nice little horse – his last win was very gutsy,” said jockey Karis Teetan who partnered President’s Choice to both of those wins. Since his arrival to Hong Kong, the Redoute’s Choice gelding who was sold out of Riversley Park’s 2017 Ready To Run draft, has bagged two wins…

Simply Fluke. Photo: HKJC Joao Moreira maintained a slender three-win advantage over jockeys’ premiership rival Zac Purton after landing a double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Moreira struck first with Victorious Seeker (Sebring) before New Zealand-bred gelding Simply Fluke (NZ) (Keeper) made it two wins in as many runs when taking out the Class 4 North Point Handicap (1200m). The five-year-old charged home from the tail of the field continuing his good run of form since joining the Douglas Whyte stable. “I just allowed him to find his own…