A rain-affected evening at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday delivered an action-packed programme as Caspar Fownes strengthened his position at the top of the trainers’ championship while Douglas Whyte finally brought a frustrating winless run to an end.
In the saddle, Luke Ferraris and champion jockey Zac Purton shared riding honours with three winners apiece, producing a series of polished performances across the card.
Fownes struck first through the Toronado gelding Verbier (121lb), who benefited from a patient and well-timed ride by Ferraris in the Class 5 Intercontinental Limousine Handicap (1200m). Biding his time behind the leaders, Ferraris steered the gelding through a narrow gap between the front pair approaching the finish, with Verbier responding gamely to win by half a length.
The championship leader added another success when Super Sicario (129lb) returned to the winner’s circle in the Class 5 Kwoon Chung Motors Handicap (1800m). Guided by Hugh Bowman, the gelding secured his first victory since the opening Happy Valley meeting of the season, taking Fownes to 39 winners for the campaign.
“We gave him a nice break away and prepared him well for this,” Fownes said. “Hugh handled him well, and he’s won nicely. He started off a bit intractable, but once the race started to progress, he was good. Once he passed the second bend, I was very confident.”
For Whyte, the evening proved particularly satisfying after a lengthy barren stretch that had lasted 62 days. His breakthrough arrived when Brazilian-bred Gameplayer Elite (116lb) produced a strong late surge to land the Class 4 KC Smart Mobility Handicap (1200m) under Harry Bentley, registering his first win in Hong Kong.
“He’s been running consistently in his last two starts,” Whyte said. “It’s been a bit of a frustrating run of things with him. Tonight, the draw and the tempo played into his hands, and he ran a nice race. I think he’s just a healthy horse and his rating, the draw and the ground played a big part.”
Whyte quickly doubled his tally when Purton guided Hong Kong International Sale graduate Giant Ballon (125lb) to victory in the Class 4 Kwoon Chung Macau Limousine Rental Services Handicap (1200m).
“It’s taken a long time to turn things around, but the horses have been running very consistently,” Whyte added. “Two of the horses put their A game together tonight and both won very well.”
Another trainer enjoying a productive spell is Frankie Lor, whose runner Symbol Of Strength (131lb) battled bravely to deny Flying Wrote (121lb) in the Class 3 Kwoon Chung Bus Cup Handicap (1200m). The success also handed Ferraris his second winner of the evening and earned the owners a HK$1.5 million PP Bonus.
Ferraris completed his treble later aboard Fivefortwo (121lb) in the Class 3 Sichuan Bipenggou Tourist Attractions Handicap (1650m) for trainer Francis Lui. The four-year-old Irish import showed determination in the closing stages to record Ferraris’ 25th win of the season, moving him ahead of Karis Teetan and Vincent Ho into fifth place in the jockeys’ standings. The victory also secured another HK$1.5 million PP Bonus for his connections.
Standby runner Ace War (122lb) made an immediate impression on his first start for Mark Newnham, claiming the Class 4 Trans-Island Chinalink Handicap (2200m). With Purton in the saddle, the Irish-bred import handled the testing conditions well and stayed on strongly to record a comfortable success.
“When they extended the entries, we added him and he looked like he’d be lucky enough to get in,” Newnham said. “He had run over 2000 metres in the UK on soft ground, so any rain we got today was going to be helpful.”
Purton completed his hat-trick aboard California Moxie (133lb), producing a perfectly judged ride to capture the Class 4 Kwoon Chung Inclusive & Accessible Service Handicap (1650m) for trainer Tony Cruz. Held up early, the gelding was produced at just the right moment to deliver a sharp finishing burst.
“On his last start he just walked out of the gate, so I told Zac just to get that start and wait – Zac timed it to perfection,” Cruz said. “Today was very different ground but I was sure he could handle it; I think on faster ground he would have been even better.”
The meeting also featured another impressive display from Amazing Kid (120lb), who continued his upward trajectory for trainer John Size and jockey Andrea Atzeni. The Exceed And Excel gelding swept forward late to win the Class 3 New Lantao Bus Handicap (1200m), recording his fourth victory in five starts.
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday (8 March).
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