Cover image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Second stakes winner for Dracarys as Storm Rider strikes
A first crop son of Queensland-based stallion Dracarys, Storm Rider delivered his sire a second stakes winner on Thursday night when taking out the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup at Sha Tin. Trained by David Hayes, the 5-year-old carried a featherweight 115lb (52kg) on his Group race debut and took full advantage of it to snatch victory from Dancing Code (Panzer Division) by a short head.
Karis Teetan was in the saddle for the race, and he kept the gelding comfortable midfield until well into the straight forward unleashing a superb turn of foot to steal the victory on the line.
“I just think he’s a horse that has got the potential to go above 100 (rating points) and he was beautifully rated for his ability,” Hayes said of the gelding who carried a rating of 86 going into the race.
“Once he (Storm Rider) got that nice run, he was always going to be hard to beat with that light weight.” - David Hayes
“My only concern was the barrier (nine), but Karis rode such a great race, it took the barrier out of that. Once he got that nice run, he was always going to be hard to beat with that light weight.
Storm Rider winning the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“We’ve been a little bit quiet (with wins recently) so it was good to get the big win.”
It was the gelding’s fifth win in 26 starts, all of which have come in the jurisdiction, and Hayes has circled a Class 1 race for him in February, before potentially plotting a path to the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup later that month.
“His record’s good (at 1400 metres),” Hayes said. It’s just the way the programme has been for him going through the classes that we’ve targeted him at the Valley. But now we can keep him at 1400 metres and there’s a nice group of races for him going forward.”
David Hayes receiving the trophy after Storm Rider won the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“It’s a good start to the new year,” said Teetan. “His trial last week was a really good trial. Last start, he just pulled too hard and he still ran home.
"David was very bullish that the horse (Storm Rider) could run well today." - Karis Teetan
“The horse was coming to the races today with good form and David was very bullish that the horse could run well today.”
Merrick Staunton purchased Storm Rider for $80,000 from Oakwood Farm’s Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale draft in 2022, and he arrived in Hong Kong in mid 2023, where he immediately won two of his first three starts. Thursday’s victory takes his lifetime earnings to HK$9.46 million ($1.81 million), almost half of which has been earned within the current racing season.
Storm Rider and Karis Teetan after winning the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
He is the most accomplished of two winners out of winning Husson (Arg) mare Zeffiretta, who is a three-quarter-sister to G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes runner-up Fist Of Fury (Hussonet {USA}). Zeffiretta has a yearling full sister to follow, and visited Dracarys again this past spring after losing her 2025 foal by the same sire.
Double for evergreen Deep Field
Pensioned sire Deep Field has long been popular with Hong Kong owners and trainers, and he dutifully delivered again on Thursday night with a double; his 4-year-old son Endued took out the seventh event over the mile for John Size, and fellow 4-year-old Rising Force (NZ) clinched the ninth race on the card over 1200 metres for Ricky Yiu.
Maxime Guyon was aboard Endued for the 1600-metre race and the duo hugged the rail for most of the trip, sitting comfortably midfield until a gap presented itself in the straight. Guyon sent the gelding forward into clear air to deliver victory by a length over Happy Universe (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}).
“Craig Williams said after his last start he was ready for the mile and he certainly got that right,” said Size. “It was pleasing, I know he got the simple run on the rails and had every possible chance, but he won the race and some of them don’t despite that.
"I know he (Endued) got the simple run on the rails and had every possible chance, but he won the race and some of them don’t despite that." - John Size
“He seemed to finish off the race quite willingly and was happy to run, so I’m very pleased with him. I don’t know much about the horse - I’ve only had him for a couple of races - but from what I’ve seen, he should be winning another race.”
The victory of Endued also secured a double for Size, who has now trained six winners from his last 31 starters, assisted by Raging Rapids (Zoustar) in the sixth race.
John Size | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Offered at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale by breeder Kia Ora Stud, Endued was a $150,000 purchase for Carlaw Park, who then offered him at the following New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, where he was bought by Jamie Richards Racing and Andrew Williams Bloodstock for NZ$400,000.
He won his maiden in the May of his juvenile season before shipping out to Hong Kong where he took the majority of his first season to hit his straps, claiming a maiden victory in the jurisdiction last July for Benno Yung. Transferred to Size this season, he was second when beaten three quarters of a length on resumption, before nabbing Thursday’s victory.
Endued is the second winner from two to race for Waruna (All Too Hard), a four-time winning half-sister to G2 Emancipation Stakes winner Positive Peace (Stratum), out of Listed-winning Warpath (Reset).
Other half-sisters include Gracious Grey (Redoute’s Choice), whose daughter Kind Words (Written Tycoon) won the G3 Belle Of The Turf Stakes over the holiday period, and Group 3-placed Rotator (Not A Single Doubt), dam of this spring’s stakes-placed juvenile Masvingo (Zoustar). Waruna has a yearling colt by Prague to follow, and visited Lofty Strike in 2025.
Drawn out wide in the 14th barrier, Rising Force still posted a confident win by a length and a half under Richard Kingscote, who also guided Happy Universe to his aforementioned second placing. Kingscote had been aboard for Rising Force’s debut victory last March as well.
Rising Force (NZ) winning at Sha Tin | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Windsor Park Stud offered Rising Force at Karaka in 2023, where he was a NZ$75,000 purchase for Sterling Investments. He passed in at the following New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale and arrived in Yiu’s stable as a griffin in late 2024, where he was a winner on debut. His Thursday victory takes his winnings to HK$1.94 million ($372,000) in four starts.
Rising Force is the fifth winner from five to the races - all of whom are now multiple winners - for On The Que Tee (Sebring), a winning half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Royal Discretion (Royal Academy {USA}) and Listed-winning Roulettes (Flying Spur), dam of Sun City and juvenile Listed winner Parlophone (I Am Invincible). On The Que Tee produced a filly by Profondo in 2024, before visiting War Decree (USA).
Deep Field's last crop of foals are now 2-year-olds, of which four have been named. Frewdamoss is the only one to have a public hit-out, finishing third in a Flemington jump-out in October.
