Cover image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Honest Sky Heart leaps towards Classic Cup
Sky Heart (NZ) (Ardrossan) took another leap towards Listed Classic Cup contention with a 0.3l win on Sunday at Sha Tin for trainer Caspar Fownes and jockey Hugh Bowman. The second leg of the 4-year-old series, the Listed Classic Cup runs on March 2. “He’s such an honest horse, he’s actually a quality horse and he can only get better,” Fownes said.
“He’s going to run further. I think he’s got a very good future in Hong Kong. He’s definitely a horse on the up. He was very strong through the line, indicating he will run further, so quite exciting for us.” Sky Heart placed in a trial in New Zealand before being sent to Hong Kong, where he won twice at three last season. Sunday’s win was his third start this season, and he took his record to three wins from nine starts with earnings over HK$3.8 million (AU$780,000).
Sold by Little Avondale Stud at the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale for W Kwan for NZ$100,000, Sky Heart is bred on the same Ardrossan/Per Incanto (USA) cross as stakes winner Codigo (NZ) and Sky Heart’s full brother Yaldi (NZ).
Yaldi (NZ), the year younger full brother, is trained by Andrew Forsman and recently won the G2 Auckland Guineas. Their dam, Luroel (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) was a winner over 1200 metres in New Zealand and Sky Heart and Yaldi are her third and fourth foals respectively. She’s gone to Ardrossan ever since. Her current 2-year-old died as a foal, and her yearling colt by Ardrossan passed in at the recent NZB National Yearling Sale from the draft of Elsdon Park.
Sky Heart (NZ) winning the Sha Tin Rose Handicap | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Luroel is a half-sister to G3 Cambridge Breeders' Stakes winner Hammer Down (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and a full sister to G2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes placed Nahema (NZ).
Johannes Brahms lives up to previous form
Previously trained by Aiden O’Brien, 4-year-old gelding Johannes Brahms (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) earned a Top-Up Bonus of HK$1.5 million (AU$303,000) in winning at Sha Tin on Sunday when ridden by Andrea Atzeni, and he has joined the conversation for the upcoming Listed Classic Cup. “This time we really wanted to test him, get him higher in rating and prove he’s a capable Class 2 horse. The next test is the Classic Cup – 200 metres further, so we probably have to ride him more quietly,” trainer Pierre Ng said.
“He’ll be a very good miler. The four-year-old races always have a slow pace. It didn’t suit him last time (when 14th in the Hong Kong Classic Mile), but hopefully we’ll get a better draw next time and better pattern of race.”
There’s some impressive form around Johannes Brahms. A winner on debut at two in Ireland, he ran second in the Listed Royal Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes at his second start, behind future G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), then second in the G2 Gimcrack Stakes behind Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never {USA}), who won the Golden Eagle in Sydney last season. Big Evs also beat Group 1 winner Asfoora (Flying Artie) in the G2 Goodwood King George Stakes and is now at stud at Tally Ho Stud.
Johannes Brahms has won two of his six starts in Hong Kong with earnings over HK$4.9 million (AU$991,000). MV Magnier and White Birch Farm purchased him as a yearling from Chasemore Farm’s Tattersall’s October Yearling Sale for 200,000 gns (AU$416,000).
He is the second foal of Listed Le Lion-d'Angers Prix Urban Sea-placed Illaunmore (USA) (Shamardal {USA}), who is a daughter of G3 Royal Ascot Albany Stakes placed Illaunglass (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}).
Steps Ahead makes Derby claims
Francis Lui-trained 4-year-old gelding Steps Ahead (Written By) might not be bred to stay, but he’s making good progress towards the Listed Hong Kong Derby with a 0.3l win on Sunday. “He’s an honest horse. He always keeps fighting in his races. I’ll try get him to the Classic Cup and Derby, but his rating might not be high enough,” Lui said. The Listed Hong Kong Derby runs on March 23.
Steps Ahead winning the Sha Tin Marigold Handicap | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
The win gave jockey Andrea Atzeni a double for the evening. Steps Ahead now has three wins from nine starts and earnings over HK$4.2 million (AU$850,000). A $140,000 purchase by Richard Jolly at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale from the draft of Widden Stud, and the son of Written By is the second foal of Avocado (Snitzel), whose 3-year-old filly El Morzillo (Star Witness) was second to Bittercreek (Snitzel) in the G2 Spirit Of Boom Classic last season and was most recently seen when fifth in The Sunlight. Her 2-year-old colt Guac On (Zousain) is unraced and her yearling filly by Dirty Work is Lot 50 in the upcoming Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Avocado, a winner at 950 metres, is a full sister to Listed Starlight Stakes winner Spending To Win, and their dam is G2 Doncaster Flying Childers Stakes winner Madame Trop Vite (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). It’s a strong sprinting family, so if Steps Ahead gets out to the Derby distance of 2000 metres, it’ll be a massive training effort.
Unbeaten pair look like future sprint stars
David Hall-trained 3-year-old gelding Magnifique (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) and Frankie Lor-trained 4-year-old gelding Horsepower (Harry Angel {Ire}) both took their records in Hong Kong to two from two on Sunday night. Magnifique has only raced in Hong Kong, while Horsepower won two of his four starts in Australia when racing as Fire Follower.
Magnifique won by 1.5l and is also unbeaten in three trials leading into his two wins. “He’s still learning his craft, but he’s definitely got the potential there,” Hall said. He will take him through the grades without any major targets in mind yet.
Magnifique (NZ) winning the Sha Tin Daisy Handicap | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“Obviously they’re all still learning in their second start and he was still a little bit keen mid-race. Brenton (Avdulla) sat there a little bit longer because he knew he was sort of overworking a little bit, but when they came to him, he said he was just waiting for them. He found what he had to and he’s probably got a little bit more there, I would hope.”
Magnifique has earnings over HK$1.3 million (AU$260,000) and was a $30,000 purchase by Riverrock Farm from Windsor Park Stud’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale draft. Riverrock Farm on-sold him at the NZB Ready To Run Sale for NZ$250,000 to Kirk Wong. He is the second foal of unraced Oh Dee Jay (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), who is a daughter of Listed winner D J Lightning (USA) (Doneraile Court {USA}). Oh Dee Jay has an unnamed 2-year-old filly by Circus Maximus (Ire) and a yearling filly by the same sire.
Horsepower has won four in succession; his final two starts in Australia and is unbeaten in two starts in Hong Kong. He was late scratched at his last start with an unsoundness issue behind the gates. “Last time behind the gates, Zac Purton scratched the horse so we needed to find out what was going on,” Lor said.
“The next day we checked the horse, we did the bone scan for him, but we couldn’t see anything. Then we went back to work and he started (favouring) his left front a little bit. The vet helped a lot to make sure which part had a problem. His fetlock had a little bit of a problem so they just medicated his fetlock and he was sound. In the morning, he is too strong, he is really hard to control and he needs to relax more.”
Horsepower wasn’t sold through an auction, and is the sixth foal and fourth winner for G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic winner Romneya (Red Ransom {USA}), who has also produced G3 PJ Bell Stakes-placed Matilija (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}), dam of juvenile winner and G2 Reisling Stakes placed Ojai (Exceed And Excel). Romneya is a daughter of G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (f) winner Mannington (Danehill {USA}), making her a half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Benicio, and G3 Show County Handicap winner Roheryn (Lonhro).
Doyle and Marquand make their mark
Married UK jockeys Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand made the most of their temporary visit to Hong Kong with a win each on Sunday. Doyle was the first of the pair to win on Billionaire Secret (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}), who flew home from last to win the sixth on the card.
“My first day on this lovely track and they seem to be hard to peg back today, but there was a pace collapse and it played to my horse’s strength,” Doyle said. A winner at two in Ireland, 6-year-old gelding Billionaire Secret doesn’t win often in Hong Kong, with three wins from 33 starts in the region and his first win since November 2023.
“It’s nice to get one win in each and I have to reiterate that we’re only here because of the boys’ misfortune, and it’s pretty rubbish for them because all of us just want everyone to get around safe,” Marquand said.
“If we can fill a gap, we’re more than pleased to, and we’re glad we were on the call list of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.” Marquand won race ten on 4-year-old entire Invincible Shield (I Am Invincible), who is a horse that looks like he’ll win more often in the future. It was his second start in Hong Kong, and he was coming off winning four in succession in Brisbane last season.
Sold by Yarraman Park Stud at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $420,000 to Baystone Farm, Invincible Shield is a full brother to 3-year-old colt Tardelli, who ran third in the G2 Levin Classic behind Group 1 winner Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) during January. Their yearling half-sister, by Hellbent, was sold by Yarraman Park Stud at the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $200,000 to Doyle Racing and Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA).
Their dam, the unraced Pierro Moss (Pierro), is a daughter of Listed winner Upon This Rock (Fastnet Rock) who is a half-sister to Listed winners Bhutane Dane (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Gaze On (Intergaze), from the family of Group 1 winners Criterion and Comin’ Through (Fastnet Rock).
