Sha Tin Racecourse will stage an 11-race programme on Sunday, October 4, with trainer Caspar Fownes set to send out six runners as he looks to maintain a strong early-season record. The Sky Vino Sha Tin challenge will provide one of the key talking points as the five-year-old gelding will step up to Class 2 level in the HK$3.12 million Muk Min Ha Handicap over 1650 metres on dirt.
Fownes will enter the fixture with five wins from the first seven meetings of the new season. The five-time Hong Kong Champion Trainer will aim to add to that tally with a team that will include runners across several divisions at Sha Tin.
The 59-year-old trainer will have built a long association with Hong Kong racing since arriving for the 2003/04 season, when he will take over from his late father Lawrie. His career record will include 1,240 victories, while his previous success will also include handling Group 1 performers such as Lucky Nine, Southern Legend and The Duke.
Fownes will have expressed satisfaction with the way his stable will have begun the campaign and will indicate that the yard will continue to target winners despite strong competition among Hong Kong’s leading trainers.
His current tally of five wins will place him alongside Danny Shum, while Cody Mo and Pierre Ng will lead the early standings with eight victories each. Manfred Man will have seven wins and David Hall will have six.
Sky Vino Sha Tin Challenge Will Bring Class 2 Test
Sky Vino will carry 115lb and will move into Class 2 following two course-and-distance victories during the 2025/26 season. The 79-rated gelding will be partnered by Alexis Badel and will face a field containing Chancheng Glory, Talents Ambition, Sing Dragon, Gorgeous Win, Awesome Fluke, Definitive and Loch Tay.
The rise in grade will represent a significant test for Sky Vino, but his light weight will give him an opportunity to compete against several established dirt performers. Fownes will consider the assignment demanding, while his preparation will have left him fit and ready for another start.
Sky Vino will also bring consistency into the contest after his previous victories over the same course and distance. His ability to reproduce that form against stronger opposition will be central to his prospects in the Class 2 event.
The Muk Min Ha Handicap will carry the highest prize on Fownes’ Sunday schedule and will form the main assignment for the stable’s six-runner team.
Alpha Strike will provide another leading chance for Fownes when the gelding will attempt to follow up his previous success in the Class 3 Shing Mun Handicap over 1000 metres. He will carry 131lb, which will represent an 11lb increase from his previous outing.
Ellis Wong will not ride Alpha Strike because of suspension, with Jimmy Orman set to take the mount instead. The gelding will arrive in good form and will attempt to produce another competitive performance over the short distance.
Fownes will also bring Corleone back to the races in the Class 3 Shek Wai Kok Handicap over 1650 metres on dirt. The Hong Kong International Sale graduate will return after recording three victories during the 2025/26 campaign.
Corleone will have completed a trial earlier in the week and will be expected to improve with the benefit of a race outing. Fownes will regard the gelding as a useful prospect, although the runner will still need to build race fitness following his return.
Fownes Team Will Extend Across Sunday’s Sha Tin Card
Hymnbook will represent Fownes in the Class 3 Chinese Recreation Club Challenge Cup Handicap over 1800 metres. The trainer will also saddle Silver Spurs and Perfect Team during the 11-race fixture, giving the stable six opportunities across the programme.
The meeting will begin at 12:30pm with the Class 5 Chai Wan Kok Handicap over 1650 metres on dirt. The programme will then move through a range of divisions and distances, with Fownes’ runners scheduled to provide representation across several contests.
For Sky Vino, the step into Class 2 will provide a clear measure of how effectively he will translate his previous course-and-distance form against higher-rated opposition. The 1650-metre dirt assignment will also place importance on his ability to maintain his consistency as he moves into a stronger grade.
Fownes will therefore head into Sunday with a broad team and a strong early-season record behind him. Sky Vino will carry the principal Class 2 responsibility, while Alpha Strike, Corleone, Hymnbook, Silver Spurs and Perfect Team will give the stable further opportunities throughout the Sha Tin programme.
Sky Vino Sha Tin will headline Caspar Fownes’ six-runner team at Sha Tin on Sunday, with the five-year-old gelding set to step up to Class 2 level in the HK$3.12 million Muk Min Ha Handicap over 1650 metres on dirt.
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