Fabulous Eight gives trainer Ricky Yiu his 800th win in Hong Kong.[/caption]
Fabulous 800
Ricky Yiu became only the sixth trainer in history to reach 800 career wins in Hong Kong when the rather aptly-named Fabulous Eight collected a straightforward breakthrough success in the Class 4 Isle Of Man Handicap (1000m) under Joao Moreira.
“I’m happy to hit that number, very happy, and it helps give me a bigger margin over the others in the premiership,” Yiu said after extending seven clear of his nearest pursuer Francis Lui.
Fabulous Eight returned in March from a year on the sidelines and showed promise in two starts since, before opening his career account at the seventh attempt.
“His form gradually faded away last season because he had a small problem and it’s taken a long time – I took him to Conghua for a while and managed to get him over it. It was Class 4 today and that shouldn’t have been a problem. He can go 1200 metres,” Yiu said.
Purton closes in on Moreira again
Zac Purton charged off the blocks with victory in the first two races on the card and added one more to wrap up with a treble.
That put him only one win behind championship leader Moreira with the tallies standing at 110 to 109 in the Brazilian’s favour.
Like That started as the 4.9 outsider of four in the opening the Argonaut Plate (1000m) for Griffins, having placed fifth of six in a similar contest on debut the time before. The Moore-trained Akeed Mofeed two-year-old tracked his rivals under Purton, and, with a 9lb weigh-for-age advantage, quickened past to win by half a length.
“I’m really happy with that, he came off the bit really well,” Moore said. “He just needed the extra three weeks. He’s a miler and I said to Zac to just drop him in behind – he’s won without touching him.”
Purton and trainer David Hall combined in the Class 5 Special Cargo Handicap (1200m, dirt) with Demons Rock. The one and three-quarter-length success meant that the top-weight broke his Hong Kong maiden at the 25th attempt – the five-year-old won four times in Britain pre-import, the last being a 1200m score at York in August 2017.
The Australian was on the mark again in race seven, the Class 4 Norman Conqueror Handicap (1600m), atop the Dennis Yip-trained Decisive Action. The handler has had 18 wins this term and Purton has piloted 14 of those.
Tony Millard sealed a brace to end a one-month drought in style. After Little Thunder broke the cold streak, Silver Fig (127lb) rocketed from the tail to overhaul Utopia Life (131lb) and claim a stunning victory under Antoine Hamelin in the Class 3 Game Spirit Handicap (1200m, dirt).
Little Thunder’s win in the Class 4 Manicou Handicap (1200m, dirt) saw Victor Wong return to the winner’s arch for the first time on a Millard runner since October 2018. The stable apprentice has bounced back from a long spell on the sideline.
Derek Leung and trainer Jimmy Ting pocketed their second win in tandem this term when Hong Kong International Sale graduate Momentum Happy kept on rolling to land a maiden win in the Class 4 Monaveen Handicap (1400m). The four-year-old was having his first start for Ting following a stable transfer and took the handler’s overall score for the season to 30 and Leung’s to 24.
The finale, the Class 3 Inch Arran Handicap (1400m), went to the Cruz-trained Beauty Spirit who was galvanized late to take the spoils under a determined Neil Callan.