HONG KONG BASED HORSES REIGN SUPREME ON LONGINES HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL RACE DAY
By Darren Winningham | Sunday, December 9, 2018
Bringing horses from all around the world to Hong Kong to contest the HK$93 million that is on offer for the races has now become a stern challenge for the overseas contingent after Hong Kong horses and trainers made it a clean sweep of the featured four Group One races on the card for the first time in history!
A resounding message was sent to any owners and trainers from around the world – if you want to win at the Longines Hong Kong International Races make sure your horses are fit, they are sound and they are trained to the minute otherwise you will be found out!
On a landmark day, the internationals were cast aside as the home team swept the four Group Ones.
***************************************************************************************************
The Longines Hong Kong Vase – (HK$20 million prizemoney)
The race was won by Exultant trained by Tony Cruz and ridden by Zac Purton – the jockey’s first leg of his Group 1 winning double.
After the race Purton said “I thought at one point he (Joao Moreira – on the second horse Lys Gracieux) had the better of me. He had the momentum but my bloke just seemed to be loafing along a little bit and as Joao came to me, he actually rolled in and bumped my horse – that seemed to fire him back up and he found his second wind then”.
The margin was only a neck, but it was a war over the final 100 metres with the two best jockeys in Hong Kong peeling out to the exclusion of the field to set down for an epic battle with Zac Purton reigning supreme!
The Longines Hong Kong Sprint – (HK$20 million prizemoney)
Hot King Prawn was sent out as a resounding favourite, however, many judges thought the wide barrier may bring him undone.
He was forced to be used up by Moreira from the start and this was the telling factor over the final 200 metres with Hot King Prawn fading away to finish a distant ninth beaten by 4.5 lengths.
The race winner was Mr Stunning ridden by Karis Teetan and trained by Frankie Lor Fu-chuen. Lor had a memorable day winning two Group 1 races on the biggest day on the Hong Kong racing calendar.
Mr Stunning was given the run of the race ridden in behind the favourite Hot King Prawn before coming out around him and putting the opposition to the sword.
Teetan was ecstatic post-race saying “He had a lovely trip through the race. It’s incredible. It’s the first time I have heard the crowd shouting like this. I just knew when I pressed the button he was going to go”.
The Longines Hong Kong Mile – (HK$25 million prizemoney)
The race was won by the short priced favourite Beauty Generation ridden by Zac Purton (a winning Group 1 double) and trained by Hong Kong racing stalwart John Moore.
He won by three lengths, however, Purton eased up on him over the final stages and he went to the line hard held to the applause and screams of the massive Hong Kong racing crowd – their new champion had saluted!
After the race John Moore franked the breathtaking performance by saying “that is the most impressive winner I’ve had in Hong Kong – by far”.
The Longines Hong Kong Cup – (HK$28 million prizemoney)
The last leg of the clean sweep for Hong Kong horses came when Glorious Forever was too good winning the final Group 1 race on the program for jockey Silvestre de Sousa - trained by Frankie Lor (his second Group 1 winner of the day).
De Sousa produced the ride of the day in my opinion, when he surged Glorious Forever to the front shortly after the start with a decisive move. He led unchallenged and was too dominant getting away with some easy sectionals mid race to ensure the back markers could not run him down late.
The win topped a great week at the Longines International Races for DeSousa as he was crowned when he was crowned the Champion Jockey on the Longines International Jockeys Challenge at Happy Valley on Wednesday night against a world class field of jockeys from around the globe.
***************************************************************************************************
I suppose the final words and praise must go to the trainer – Frankie Lor, and jockey Zac Purton who dominated the Longines International Race Day 2018.
Trainer Frankie Lor announced his arrival in a big way over the Longines International Races Carnival winning two Group 1 feature races.
He is held in high esteem in Hong Kong and everybody knows how good he is after a phenomenal rookie season when he trained more winners than any other first-year trainer before him, but now he is doing it at the elite level against the very formidable trainers.
“I cannot believe it,” Lor said. “For me, it’s my dream to get more good horses and win the big races and to win these two races is amazing.”
I think the biggest accolade and mark of respect came from his former training boss – John Size who said: “It’s always pleasing to see someone like that come on. He works hard, he tries to do his job properly and he obviously learned very well from the trainers he had previously, and myself. He’s making a good fist of it and it’s onwards and upwards for him.”
For Zac Purton, winning on the Hong Kong Racing International stage is nothing new. He has now won eight Group Ones on HKIR day, including five of the past 12. No rider in the world judges pace better than him and it showed in both of his winning efforts.
“A lot of hard work goes into it, but most importantly you need to be on the right horses and be given the opportunities, so I’m thankful to the connections for those chances,” Purton said. “I’ve just got a job to do. You go out there with a plan and try to execute it.”
*************************************************************************************************
The HKJC Chief Executive, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was delighted with the racing and the results saying “It is a sensational result. It shows the depth and quality of Hong Kong racing. Of course, we were always very strong in the Sprint and the Mile and this year we were not that sure about the 2000m race, but to win the Vase in such convincing style shows obviously that we have a very good crop of young and talented horses. It can make everyone in Hong Kong proud.”
2019 beckons – twelve months remains for trainers, owners and jockeys to find the right horses to bring to Hong Kong to take on the world and make a mark in equine racing history.
The bar has been set – the challenge created – it is over to the rest of the world now!
More articles
|