Cover image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Century for Newnham
Since arriving in Hong Kong in 2023, trainer Mark Newnham has been a solid achiever, currently first equal on this year’s Trainer’s Premiership on 25 wins. Saturday’s Sha Tin meeting added an important milestone when Invincible Ibis (Hellbent) became his 100th winner in the region.
“It’s good to get the 100 out of the way. We’ve been stuck on 99 – I felt like a bad cricketer. It was going to come; I’m just pleased it came with this horse in this race. He’s a nice, progressive horse,” Newnham told hkjc.com.
Mark Newnham | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“That should see his rating lift to get him into the 4-Year-Old Classic Series. He’ll need another race before then, but he’s on his way and he’s improving every start. He’s always given that indication that he’s going to run 1600 (metres) out strongly, but first run you need to see them do it. Zac gave him a perfect ride, the gaps opened up for him, so he had the advantages with an inside gate (three), but he still had to put them away and he did it well.”
The 4-Year-Old series opens with the Hong Kong Classic Mile on February 1, followed by Hong Kong Classic Cup on March 1 and the Hong Kong Derby on March 22.
Invincible Ibis placed in all his first three starts, and has won the next three in succession to take his earnings to HK$3.4 million (AU$660,000). His dam, My Dear Friend (General Nediym) won 11 times, and she is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Harry’s Son (Haradasun) and stakes placed Henry Of York (Henrythenavigator {Ire}).
Originally sold by Widden Stud at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $80,000 to Kilgravin Lodge and Waikato Bloodstock, he was pinhooked through Kilgravin’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft where Mark Newnham Bloodstock purchased him for NZ$425,000.
Double for Purton takes him to 50
Jockey Zac Purton rode a double on Newnham’s Invincible Ibis and Chris So-trained Circuit Ferry (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) to be the first jockey to win 50 races this season. “He (Invincible Ibis) keeps improving which is a nice thing. He did it a different way today, coming inside and through them. He keeps doing what we ask him to do.”
So also had a double training Manythanks Forever (Star Witness) to victory.
Fownes stays in trainer’s battle
It’s tight at the top with Caspar Fownes and Mark Newnham ending Saturday night with 25 wins a piece to lead the Trainer’s Premiership. Fownes won with Sky Trust (So You Think {NZ}) for French jockey Maxime Guyon. “It was very nice for young Max to get a good ride for us. It’s nice to see a horse like this perform at this Class Two level,” Fownes told scmp.com.
“It’s quite tough to win at this level but he did a good job, got him in the perfect position one-out, one-back, came into the straight and I thought the last 50m, the horse was quite good and quite strong. My expectations are getting higher, he’s obviously going to get probably five or six points which will take him up to 86 or 87, and then it gets tough in Hong Kong.
Caspar Fownes | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“He’s a horse that can go further – he’ll be better at 1400 metres – so there are some races coming up and hopefully we can get another win for the owners. They’re lovely owners and very loyal, which is quite a rare thing in Hong Kong, so they’re beautiful people and I appreciate their support.”
Sky Trust’s journey hasn’t been without issues either. “Don’t forget, he’s had throat surgery so it’s hard. His first start this season, he copped a big penalty – it was a wet track and he got 10 points, but obviously they were right.”
Sky Trust has done all his racing in Hong Kong and took his record to five wins from 26 starts with earnings over HK$8 million (AU$1.55 million). He was sold by Lustre Lodge at the Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale for $155,000 to Lyndhurst Farm who pinhooked him through the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, selling him for NZ$270,000 to K Kwan.
He is one of four winners for Humble (Exceed And Excel) who has an Artorius yearling colt.
Zoustar double on the card
Reigning Australian Champion Sire Zoustar had a double on Saturday night’s card with Turquoise Velocity and Emblazon. Turquoise Velocity was on debut, having won a trial at Wodonga in January, and he had four more trials before his debut.
“He was a bit green when I was first trialling him at Conghua a few months ago, but he’s built up really well. Francis (Lui) and his team has done an amazing job with him,” jockey Keith Yeung said of Turquoise Velocity.
“When he first came to Hong Kong, he was really green, and we thought he would be an end-of-season horse, but he has improved after every trial. I knew he had the turn of foot, it’s just that he is still a big baby. He has a long way to go. I am really happy with him.”
Sold by Middlebrook Valley Lodge at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $180,000, he was bought by breeze up sale expert T Nolen who put him through the Inglis Ready2Race Sale but passed him in.
He is a half-brother to recent G3 George Moore Stakes winner Caballus (I Am Invincible), with both out of Group 3-placed Calming Influence (Commands) who has an Ole Kirk yearling filly.
Emblazon won for trainer Cody Mo and jockey Jerry Chau. Emblazon took his record to two wins from five starts. He was sold by Yarraman Park Stud for $100,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale to Riversley Park who pinhooked him into the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale where Jamie Richards Racing and Andy Williams Bloodstock bought him for NZ$400,000. He is out of Group 3 winner Princess Of Queens (Magnus) whose yearling filly by Dundeel (NZ) is heading to inglis Classic with Twins Hills Stud.
Mo had a double with Nyx Gluck (NZ) (Redwood {GB}), who was ridden by James McDonald who also had a double with his other win being John Size-trained Fit For Beauty (NZ) (Vanbrugh). Exceed And Excel had a double as a damsire with Glaciated (Frosted {USA}) and Sky Trust.
