Sha Tin witnessed another strong display of emerging talent on Saturday, 27 June, as Mr Incredible produced a commanding performance against older rivals to strengthen his reputation as one of the exciting prospects heading into next season. The Toronado gelding powered clear in the closing stages of the Class 3 Shek Sheung River Handicap (1200m), giving trainer Brett Crawford confidence that bigger targets may await.
The victory highlighted the growing potential of Mr Incredible, who handled the rise in class with maturity and speed. Under a patient ride from Karis Teetan, the bay travelled smoothly before finding another gear in the straight to score comfortably, extending his record to three wins from four starts.
Mr Incredible is the focus keyword for this article and continues to attract attention following his impressive Sha Tin success.
Racing towards the final 400 metres, Mr Incredible showed a sharp turn of foot, covering the section in 22.28 seconds. Teetan eased the gelding near the finish, with the official winning margin recorded at one-and-three-quarter lengths.
Crawford believes the performance proved that his charge has the ability to compete in the upcoming Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which features the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m), Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m).
“He’s shown tonight that he is capable,” Crawford said. “Not many three-year-olds can win in Class 3 like that. He is an exciting horse for next season and looks like he can step up in distance.”
The trainer added that the challenge of moving into stronger company was an important test, praising the way the gelding responded when asked for his effort.
Teetan, who completed a three-win haul during the meeting, was equally impressed with the performance. The jockey said Mr Incredible had always shown promise and his return after a break was particularly encouraging.
The rider and Crawford partnership also combined successfully earlier with Sovereign Fund in the Class 3 Tan Shan River Handicap (1400m), while Teetan also guided Ka Ying Resilience to victory in the opening section of the Class 4 Lam Tsuen River Handicap (1200m).
Colourful King delivered another notable performance for trainer David Eustace and jockey Andrea Atzeni, ending a frustrating run of near-misses with a decisive victory in the Class 1 Pearce Memorial Challenge Cup Handicap (1000m). The Blue Point gelding produced a strong finish to defeat Magic Control and Bottomuptogether.
Eustace admitted the win was a relief after several narrow defeats earlier in the season, while Atzeni reached his target of 60 victories for the campaign with a double after also partnering Master Lucky to success in the Class 4 Sha Tau Kok River Handicap (1400m).
Trainer Caspar Fownes continued his pursuit of another championship title when Verbier scored under Joao Moreira in the first section of the Class 5 Kam Tin River Handicap (1200m). With five meetings remaining, Fownes remained at the top of the standings with 65 victories.
Fownes praised his team’s efforts during a competitive season and said the championship remained a major ambition.
Elsewhere on the card, Anode provided trainer Danny Shum with a memorable birthday victory in the second section of the Class 4 Lam Tsuen River Handicap (1200m), while Talents Ambition secured another course-and-distance success in the Class 3 Beas River Handicap (1650m, dirt) for trainer Mark Newnham and jockey Zac Purton.
Super Goldendragon, Circuit Victory and Night Purosangue also claimed victories as Sha Tin produced a competitive evening of racing filled with promising performances.
The next Hong Kong fixture will take place at Sha Tin on Wednesday, 1 July, with the Hong Kong Reunification Raceday beginning at 4pm.
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