Invincible Ibis returned to action in winning fashion at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday, September 27, as Luke Ferraris guided him to victory in the HK$4.2 million G3 Celebration Cup Handicap over 1400m. The success marked the gelding’s sixth victory from 12 starts and continued a notable link between the race and Hong Kong Derby winners.
Invincible Ibis joined the likes of Ambitious Dragon and Golden Sixty, who had also followed their Hong Kong Derby triumphs with Celebration Cup victories. Trained by Mark Newnham, the Hellbent gelding carried 127lb and produced a determined finish to secure the feature race.
Ferraris settled Invincible Ibis in midfield during the early stages, with Copartner Prance and Lucky With You positioned ahead. The jockey kept his mount settled before gradually moving away from the inside rail as the field approached the final stages.
Invincible Ibis began his challenge from the 400m and quickly moved into contention. He ranged alongside Hong Kong Classic Mile winner Little Paradise before taking control of the race.
Galaxy Patch produced a strong late run under Karis Teetan, but Invincible Ibis maintained his advantage to score by a neck. Stormy Grove finished another neck behind in third under Jerry Chau.
The victory also gave Newnham and Ferraris their second consecutive Celebration Cup success after My Wish had landed the race last season. It provided an encouraging start to Invincible Ibis’ campaign and gave the stable several options for the months ahead.
Newnham had expected Invincible Ibis to improve with racing after returning with bigger targets in mind. The trainer indicated that the 1400m victory had provided useful information about the gelding’s current condition and suggested that 1600m races would remain the immediate focus.
Invincible Ibis was also entered for consideration towards the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile over 1600m and the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup over 2000m at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on December 13. Newnham indicated that the mile remained the more likely direction, while further performances during October and November would help determine the final target.
Ferraris had reunited with Invincible Ibis for the first time since September 2025 after regular rider Hugh Bowman was unavailable because of injury. Ferraris had partnered the horse earlier in his career and returned to the saddle with another major victory.
The final stages produced a strong test of the leading contenders. Galaxy Patch recorded the fastest final 400m in 21.18 seconds after turning for home in last position. Invincible Ibis covered the same section in 21.67 seconds, while Stormy Grove completed it in 21.72 seconds.
Invincible Ibis Leads a Strong Day at Sha Tin
The Sha Tin meeting also produced a first Hong Kong treble for apprentice Nichola Yuen. The 26-year-old rider began her successful afternoon with Ricky Yiu-trained Causeway King in the Class 4 Swallow Handicap over 1200m.
Yuen then partnered Pierre Ng-trained Victor The Winner to victory in the Class 2 Magpie Handicap over 1200m before completing her treble aboard Aeroinvincible in the Class 3 Kestrel Handicap over 1400m.
The three victories took Yuen to the 20-win milestone from 137 rides since returning from overseas training in Australia. Her claim subsequently reduced from 10lb to 7lb.
Pierre Ng also enjoyed a productive meeting, with Victor The Winner and Aeroinvincible giving him a double. The results moved Ng to seven wins in the Hong Kong trainers’ championship, one ahead of Cody Mo and Manfred Man, who had six each.
Danny Shum’s Packing Fighter produced another significant performance in the Class 3 Mesia Handicap over 1600m. Zac Purton sent the 126lb carrier forward and the gelding led throughout before completing the race in 1:32.85 to establish a new class record.
Packing Fighter had also made it two consecutive victories, continuing his strong start to the campaign.
Bustling City delivered another notable performance in the Class 3 Hwamei Handicap over 1200m on dirt. Trained by David Hayes and ridden by Brenton Avdulla, the Starspangledbanner gelding powered to a seven-length victory, producing the largest winning margin of the season.
Bustling City had also finished the previous campaign with a four-and-a-half-length success on Sha Tin’s dirt surface. His latest display further demonstrated his effectiveness on the track.
Manfred Man added two more winners to his early-season tally. Apex Glory overcame barrier 12 to lead throughout under Purton in the Class 4 Peacock Handicap over 1200m, while Vigor Elleegant completed the stable double in the Class 5 Woodpecker Handicap over 1400m under Jerry Chau.
Chau also completed a double across two consecutive meetings when Mo-trained Flowing Riches won the Class 4 Parrot Handicap over 1000m.
Frankie Lor recorded his first victory of the campaign when Chiu Chow Golf finished strongly under Harry Bentley to land the Class 4 Tailorbird Handicap over 1400m.
Richard Kingscote also opened his winning account when Michael Chang-trained Wave Garden secured the Class 5 Tropicbird Handicap over 1200m on dirt.
Invincible Ibis secured the G3 Celebration Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse under Luke Ferraris, recording his sixth career victory and strengthening his prospects of targeting major 1600m or 2000m races during the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races.
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