Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Little Paradise adds to Toronado’s Hong Kong record
Trainer Jimmy Ting won the coveted first leg of the 4-Year-Old Series as a jockey 26 years ago on Industrialist (GB) (Rudimentary {USA}), and now he has the Listed Classic Mile trophy as a trainer thanks to the two-length victory of Little Paradise (Toronado {Ire}).
He becomes the 47th stakes winner for Toronado (Ire), and his second winner in the Listed Classic Mile in the past three runnings after Helios Express won the race in 2024.
Toronado had a double at the meeting with Blazing Wukong winning for trainer Ricky Yiu, and he’s now fourth on the Hong Kong Sires’ Premiership behind Deep Field, Acclamation (GB), and Shamexpress (NZ).
4-year-old gelding Little Paradise was trapped behind a wall of horses coming around the bend, but jockey Vincent Ho didn’t panic, guiding him between traffic, changing direction twice in search of clear running, until he flew home with a storming run to win easily over the mile.
“Once I pressed the button, he just kicked it. He finished off very well, so he can definitely handle a mile without a problem, and I told Jimmy even for 1800 metres, he will also produce that sort of kick as long as we relax him early,” Ho said.
“So, I’m looking forward to the Classic Cup and the Derby. I’m very grateful for the support I’ve had in coming back from injury and to win the Classic Mile is encouraging and I’m always grateful for everything.
“I’m very grateful for the support I’ve had in coming back from injury.” - Vincent Ho
“Little Paradise is a very nice horse. The main thing stepping up to the mile for him was to relax no matter what and I didn’t rush him because we couldn’t and we know he has a really good turn of foot from his last run.
“He’s a really flexible horse as well. If the pace is slow, he can be very close to the speed and still give you a give turn of foot when you ask him. So, he’s a really nice horse to handle. Also, thanks to Jimmy and (owner) Mr Ko for the opportunity.”
Vincent Ho aboard Little Paradise | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
In second was Infinite Resolve (Snitzel) with Beauty Bolt (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) in third. Beauty Bolt’s rider James McDonald was suspended for one meeting and fined HK$60,000 (AU$11,000) for causing interference to Top Dragon (Pierata) at the 150 metres. Top Dragon finished in fifth, 3.3 lengths off the winner and a length behind Beauty Bolt.
The victory takes Little Paradise’s record to six wins from nine starts and earnings over HK$13.9 million (AU$2.6 million). Little Paradise was sold by Carramar Park at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $270,000 to Dullingham and Legends Bloodstock. He was catalogued for the Inglis Ready2Race Sale but withdrawn. He won a trial in Sydney almost a year later as an August 3-year-old before heading to Hong Kong.
Toronado (Ire) | Standing at Swettenham Stud
Toronado has seven yearlings in the upcoming Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, the same sale that Little Paradise was sourced from. He is also represented by 38 yearlings at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, and a further 12 at Easter.
Little Paradise is the only runner to date, from four named foals, for Devil In Her Heart (Star Witness). Carramar Park will present Little Paradise’s half-brother by Farnan at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale as Lot 268.
Devil In Her Heart is an unraced half-sister to three stakes winners being G2 Emancipation Stakes winner Olentia (Zoustar), Group 3 winner Wandabaa (Wandjina), dual Listed winner Malkovich (Choisir), and stakes placed Seewhatshebrings (Sebring).
Treble for Size as he climbs the ladder
Hong Kong’s 13-time Champion Trainer John Size typically starts his seasons slowly and ramps up towards another title.
This season, he’s followed the same pattern and got a strong surge on Sunday with a treble thanks to the wins of Super Express (NZ) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Crossborderdude (NZ) (El Roca) and Master Lucky (Shamus Award).
Size is now fifth on the chart, 10 wins behind current premiership leader Mark Newnham who has 34 wins for the season. “The middle of the winter is usually when we get a bit of a roll on. It’s been a bit slower this season but I’ll keep trying as always,” Size told scmp.com.
Master Lucky was on debut, having trialled at Murray Bridge before heading to Hong Kong. “The race worked out nicely for him. He didn’t have a horse to follow as such, but he had some horses around him and he got left in front at the right time; it was a good effort for a new horse,” Size said.
“I think there will be scope for him to step up in trip, but let’s see what he shows me at home first.” He is the third winner for Under The Sea (Husson {Arg}), who is a winning half-sister to Lope De Capio (Lope De Vega {Ire}).
John Size | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Group 1 target for Patch Of Theta
Francis Lui-trained Group 3 winner Patch Of Theta (Zoustar) hadn’t won in over a year heading into Sunday’s race meeting, but had picked up a couple of stakes placings in the interim. “The jockey (Hugh Bowman) knows him well and the horse is a very honest one. The pace was not that slow and that was my worry – if they slowed down the pace he would have fought with Hugh and would not have finished,” Lui told scmp.com.
“It was a good performance, we will look towards the Queen’s Silver Jubilee on February 22 but I will need to consider it fully. Things are going very well at the moment – I’m happy.”
Hugh Bowman aboard Patch Of Theta | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
The G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup over 1400 metres is also the next target of Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) who will aim to win 18 in succession. Patch Of Theta has run into Ka Ying Rising only once before in last year’s G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup which Ka Ying Rising won and Patch Of Theta finished eighth.
The winner of seven races took his earnings over HK$15.7 million (AU$2.9 million). Patch Of Theta was purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $550,000 from Edinburgh Park’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft, and on-sold at the club’s International Sale for HK$8.6 million (AU$1.58 million) to Yeung Kit Ming Angela.
His stakes placed dam Fortune Of War (General Nediym) has also produced stakes placed Spoils (Snitzel) and last season’s Listed Blue Diamond Preview (c&g)-placed Yamashita’s Gold (Wootton Bassett {GB}). She has a Splintex yearling filly and foaled a filly by Playing God in 2025.
