Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Bred by a syndicate led by Michael Christian's Saconi Thoroughbreds, Majestic Star recorded his second win in eight starts since arriving in Hong Kong, storming clear of his rivals in the Class 3 Chai Win H. over 1200 metres.
Three races later, stablemate Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) prevailed for Teetan in the Listed Hong Kong Classic Mile, the first leg of the 4-year-old Classic Series.
Shum marked his 21st winner of the season with Majestic Star's win, with the 4-year-old starting to fulfil the promise he had shown earlier in his career and giving I Am Invincible his fourth Hong Kong winner of the season.
Initially purchased by Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $510,000 when Saconi offered him through the Rosemont Stud draft at the 2019 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, he was named Efflorescence and put into work with Anthony Freedman, winning races at Ballarat and Caulfield in his four starts in Australia.
Sold to Hong Kong to race for Surplus Horse Racing Syndicate, Majestic Star joined the stables of Ricky Yiu, winning one of his five starts last season before joining Shum, with whom he was having his third start on Sunday.
Christian had purchased his dam Oasis Bloom (Al Maher) for $75,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2010 and she had a short but successful racing career, winning the G2 Stocks S. for Peter Morgan and Craig Widdison, and finishing fourth in a G1 Myer Classic.
"She loomed up to win in the Myer on Derby Day and she chipped a fetlock and didn't get to go on with it in the final 200 metres," Christian told TDN AusNZ.
Oasis Bloom (white cap) | Image courtesy of Sportpix
"She won the Stocks S. sitting three-wide the entire trip and the next year came back in the same race and ran second to Atlantic Jewel."
Oasis Bloom's first three matings were to I Am Invincible, producing strong returns of $100,000, $400,000 and then $510,000 at the yearling sales, with Majestic Star always the pick of the bunch.
"He was a lovely colt, all the way along and I was hoping he might make a bit more at the time, but he made good money," Christian, who is the principal of Longwood Thoroughbred Farm, said.
Billy Slater and Michael Christian | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Christian hopes that having secured a second win of his Hong Kong career on Sunday, Majestic Star can go on and put a run of wins together.
"Especially with these younger horses, he's only four, and they are often competing up there with much more-experienced, hardened horses if they can get a bit of confidence they can get a bit of run on," he said.
"I'd love to see him up over 1400 metres because that is a distance he won twice over in Australia leading all the way."
"I'd love to see him (Majestic Star) up over 1400 metres because that is a distance he won twice over in Australia leading all the way." - Michael Christian
Having missed the past two seasons, Oasis Bloom got in foal to Capitalist on an early cover last year.
"She's rising 13 or 14 and while she hasn't produced anything major yet, we are still hopeful that with her quality that she can produce a fast foal that goes on and carries the family through," he said.
Warrior too tough
For Shum, the day at Sha Tin got better again, with the win of Romantic Warrior, who was initially sourced by Michael Kinane on behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club for 350,000 gns (AU$702,000) at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2019 and then purchased by Peter Lau for HK$4.8 million (AU$878,000) in June 2021 at the Hong Kong International Sale.
The son of Acclamation (GB) has now won all five of his starts in a run stretching back to October.
"I would like to thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club who put this horse in the International Sale. Mr Peter Lau, the owner, trusted me because I really wanted to buy this horse,” Shum said.
“This horse is very easy to control and he’s got a big heart. When he hits the front, he likes to win. He’s not a big horse but he’s good enough. He’s happy and he’s healthy, so he performs very well.”
“This horse (Romantic Warrior) is very easy to control and he’s got a big heart. When he hits the front, he likes to win." - Danny Shum
Shum and Teetan are now eyeing the second leg of the 4-Year-Old Classic Series – the Hong Kong Classic Cup on February 27, after Teetan inherited the ride from Joao Moreira, who opted to ride Master Delight (Rubick) which finished 11th.
“He’s a lovely horse. He’s actually a really nice horse. He had the draw and I think it helped him,” the Mauritian said. “I just wanted to follow California Spangle and I knew he would take me into the race but when this horse got the clear run, he really let down and I think he’s got a very bright future."
California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) ran second and the Cambridge Stud-bred The Irishman (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) ran third.
Zebrowski goes back-to-back
The other feature of the day saw the Windsor Park-bred Zebrowski (NZ) (Savabeel) claim his second consecutive Group 3 win in the Centenary Vase H. over 1800 metres.
Zebrowski, trained by Caspar Fownes, backed up his G3 January Cup win earlier in the month with a narrow win over Butterfield (Brz) (Setembro Chove {Brz}), with Savvy Nine (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}) in third.
Trainer Caspar Fownes is contemplating a G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup tilt with Zebrowski.
“He’s stepping up to every task and sometimes you have to throw them in the deep end a little bit, out of their comfort zone rating-wise," he said.
“If he ran in a Gold Cup he certainly wouldn’t be disgraced – he’d still be a first-four chance in my opinion because he’s such a good stayer. Most importantly, we will see how he pulls up because he’s a ‘jointy’ horse, he has his issues,” Fownes said.
“If he (Zebrowski) ran in a Gold Cup he certainly wouldn’t be disgraced – he’d still be a first-four chance in my opinion because he’s such a good stayer." - Caspar Fownes
Matthew Poon rode the 5-year-old, who was trained by Team Hawkes in Australia, winning two races and finishing second in a G1 ATC Derby.
Ex-pat Australian trainer David Hayes started off the Sha Tin meeting with an Australian-bred double. The Ashleigh Thoroughbreds-bred Miracle Victory gave his sire Astern and his jockey Luke Currie their first Hong Kong wins in the Class 4 Tathong Channel H. while a race later the Hayes-trained Trader (Unencumbered), bred by Stonehouse Thoroughbreds, registered his second win in the Class 4 Tai Tam Bay H.
The Gooree Stud-bred Young Victory (Smart Missile) won the Class 5 Shau Kei Wan H. over 1400 metres for trainer Chris So with Alexis Badel in the saddle. Badel also rode the Windsor Park Stud-bred Voyage Star (NZ) (Guillotine {NZ}) to land the Class 4 Siu Sai Wan H. over 1400 metres for Benno Yung.
