David Hayes’ remarkable grip on the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge tightened further on Wednesday night when Romantic Son delivered a decisive, season-defining performance at Happy Valley, securing Hayes a third consecutive triumph in the prestigious series.
The result not only confirmed Hayes’ continued authority in the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge, but also underlined the trainer’s relentless momentum midway through the Hong Kong season, with his stable now firmly entrenched in the premiership race.
After sharing the honours in the 2023/24 season through Tomodachi Kokoroe alongside Danny Shum’s Copartner Ambition, Hayes has since claimed the series outright in successive years, first with Soleil Fighter and now with Romantic Son, cementing an era of sustained excellence.
“It was very exciting to see Romantic Son win it — he’s my syndicate horse and they’re a great bunch of people, so it’s such a thrill,” Hayes said after moving to 33 wins for the campaign, just one behind current trainers’ championship leader Mark Newnham.
“We’re right up there now in the premiership and certainly in the hunt. Long may it continue.”
Countback Drama Decides DBS x Manulife Million Challenge
Run across Class 3 races and above from September through early February, the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge awards 15 points for a win, six for second, four for third and three for fourth. This season concluded with Romantic Son and Regal Gem locked together on 45 points.
Under competition regulations, Romantic Son claimed the HK$1 million winner’s purse on countback, his three victories proving decisive against Regal Gem’s two.
Romantic Son sealed the title with a commanding display in the Class 3 Sing Woo Handicap (1200m), producing a powerful finish under Harry Bentley, who stepped in for the indisposed Dylan Browne McMonagle.
Regal Gem entered the night with 42 points and required a top-three finish in the Class 2 Blue Pool Handicap (1200m) to overtake the leader. Instead, he finished fourth behind Beauty Waves, Young Champion and Brave Star, leaving him tied on points but second overall. His campaign yielded HK$350,000 in series rewards.
In addition to his HK$1.04 million race earnings, Romantic Son collected the HK$1 million series prize, while King Miles, Storm Rider and Awesome Fluke each finished on 36 points and earned HK$50,000.
Jumping from barrier 12 and carrying top weight of 135lb, Romantic Son defied a wide draw to surge past California Blitz and Power Koepp, recording his fourth career victory — all at Happy Valley — from 19 starts.
“I was concerned about the weight and the draw,” Bentley said. “I thought he needed a perfect run, but he proved that wrong. He quickened really well and won convincingly.”
Awesome Fluke Sets Record as Valley Card Delivers Depth
Elsewhere on the card, Awesome Fluke extinguished the series hopes of several rivals when he produced a record-breaking effort in the Class 2 Shan Kwong Handicap (1650m), stopping the clock at 1m 37.74s for Ricky Yiu and Andrea Atzeni.
Settling behind New Forest, Awesome Fluke surged to the front turning for home and held off Soleil Fighter and Huge Wave to secure his fourth Hong Kong victory, adding to his earlier success in Australia’s 2023 G2 W.A.T.C. Derby under the name Awesome John.
“I was happy with the tempo,” Atzeni said. “With a light weight and the distance change, it was important to make it a true test.”
Pierre Ng and Atzeni combined for a double when Storm Runner finally broke through at his 17th attempt in the Class 4 Yuk Sau Handicap (1800m). Maxime Guyon later guided Candlelight Dinner to victory in the Class 3 King Kwong Handicap (1000m).
Caspar Fownes further strengthened his standing as the ‘King of the Valley’, landing a double with Somelovefromabove and Corleone, moving to within one win of 1,200 career victories in Hong Kong.
Victor The Rapid opened his season account in the first division of the Class 4 Wang Tak Handicap before Stormi prevailed in the Class 3 Yik Yam Handicap.
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday, 8 February, highlighted by the HK$4.2 million G3 Centenary Vase Handicap over 1800 metres.
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