Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Brutal double at Sha Tin
Newgate Farm stallion Brutal (NZ) sired a double at Sha Tin on Saturday night with 2-year-old gelding The All Out (NZ) and 3-year-old gelding Truly Fluke. The All Out is now unbeaten in two starts and covered the 1000 metres in a sizzling time of 55.84s.
“He was good because it’s very hard to win from that side of the track,” jockey Zac Purton told hkjc.com. “He did a really good job to be working the whole way to some extent and then hold them off.”
Trained by Jamie Richards, The All Out was purchased by his trainer and Andy Williams Bloodstock for NZ$150,000 from Cambridge Stud’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft. He ran second at the trials in New Zealand before heading to Hong Kong. The All Out is the third named foal and second winner for Sistabeel (Savabeel) who won four races and is out of G2 Dane Ripper Stakes-fourth Ametsis (Redoute’s Choice).
The All Out is one of four juvenile winners from Brutal’s second crop, and The All Out has earnings over HK$1 million (AU$196,000) from his two wins.
David Eustace-trained Truly Fluke won over 1400 metres under a ride from Andrea Atzeni. “He’s a beautiful horse and we took a punt today to go forward from a wide gate (barrier 13). I just felt if we went back, he’d probably run well without being a chance of winning. He got a beautiful ride and he’s a nice horse for next season,” Eustace said.
“I’d like to think he’ll work his way through the grades a little bit. Obviously, it’s hard to know how far they get, but he’ll stay a mile no problem and probably doesn’t need to go further than that at this stage. That might just do him for the season, but we’ll see how he comes through it.”
Unplaced on debut in Hong Kong, Truly Fluke ran second last start, and Saturday’s win came at his third start. Sold by Rinpark at the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale for $65,000 to Northmore Thoroughbreds, who on-sold him for $25,000 at the Inglis Gold Yearling Sale to Winterfold Racing Stables. Truly Fluke has done all his racing in Hong Kong and has earnings over HK$900,000 (AU$179,000).
Truly Fluke is the fourth foal and third winner for Kascata (Snitzel) who has a yearling colt by Brutal and a colt weanling by Artorius. She is a daughter of Group 1 winner Clean Sweep (NZ) (End Sweep {USA}).
Ka Ying Rising’s conqueror returns to form
Best known as the only horse to beat Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}), who is currently the second top rated horse on the World Thoroughbred Rankings, Wunderbar (Rich Enuff) returned to form for trainer John Size with a win on Saturday night.
“He’s been over-racing a little bit and I gave him a break and that didn’t work, so I had to do something else. Then he had a couple of trials and was fine. He didn’t race for four months last time fresh and this time he was perfect – right tempo and everything went well for him,” Size said.
Wunderbar won four of his first five starts in Hong Kong last season, including those two wins against Ka Ying Rising, then this season he won his first two starts but has struggled in his next four with a second, two fifths and a last start eighth. All up, he has seven wins from 12 starts and earnings over HK$9.8 million (AU$1.9 million).
Purchased by Richard and Chantelle Jolly for $140,000 at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale from Angas Bank, Wunderbar is out of Could Be Something (General Nediym) who has produced four winners and has a yearling colt by Prague. She is an unraced half-sister to G1 Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready (More Than Ready {USA}).
The win took Size to 63 wins for the season, nine clear of David Hayes on 54, and with only eight meetings to go, his 13th Hong Kong Trainer’s Premiership looks closer than ever. If he wins, he will break his own record for number of premierships.
Wong’s apprentice allowance reduced
A double for Ellis Wong has taken him to 46 career wins, and led to a reduction in his apprentice allowance from 7lb to 5lb. He has won 10 races since the start of May, and this was his first double. “It’s good for Ellis – next week he becomes a five-pound claimer so we wish him the best of luck, he’s riding really well. Hopefully my friend trainers will give him some more support,” trainer Caspar Fownes said.
Wong won on Caspar Fownes-trained Joy Of Spring (Deep Field) and Pierre Ng’s debutant Aerovolanic (Frosted {USA}). There were several doubles on the night with Zac Purton winning on The All Out and Patch Of Stars (All Too Hard), while Andrea Atzeni won on Truly Fluke and Mojave Desert (I Am Invincible).
Trainer Tony Cruz enjoyed a double with Hong Kong International Sale graduates Smart Beauty (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Kingly Demeanor (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Smart Beauty was purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club at Goffs Ireland for €260,000 (AU$460,000) and sold at the International Sale for HK$2.8 million (AU$550,000). The win, his fifth, took his earnings over HK$3.1 million (AU$608,000).
Kingly Demeanor was sold by West Moor Stud at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale for 34,000 gns (AU$75,000) to BBA Ireland, who put him through the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale under Loughtown Stud’s draft selling to the HKJC for 255,000 gns (AU$563,000). He made HK$3.8 million (AU$745,000) at the International Sale, and now has earnings over HK$2.5 million (AU$490,000) from his four wins.
