By Harry Troy, Macau Jockey Club
Pearl Green continued his dominance of Macau’s feature races with another sterling win in Sunday’s SJM Charity Trophy (Class 1) over 1500 metres on the turf.
Ridden by Panamanian rider Oscar Chavez, Pearl Green enjoyed the run of the race on the fence in fourth spot before darting through on the inside of Obrigado Mais at the two hundred, to power home for a strong win over Luen On Dance Kid (Ruan Maia), with Royal Garden (Tshwaro Appie) running on well from the back for third.
Prepared by three times Champion trainer K H Leong, Pearl Green was having his first run since tackling the Hong Kong –Macau Trophy over 1400 metres at Sha Tin on May 11 where he ran a creditable fourth behind John Moore’s Good Standing. Prior to that the five-year-old destroyed his rivals with an easy win in the Group 2 Directors Cup at Taipa over 1500 metres.
Both the first and second horse in Sundays Trophy have been bargain buys for their respective owners after disappointing as two-year-olds in Australia. Pearl Green was originally a A$460,000 purchase at the 2015 Gold Coast Magic Millions Sales for Gai Waterhouse. Two mediocre barrier trials at Randwick then saw the colt gelded and put on the market. He was then snapped up by K H Leong for A$55,000 for his owner Mr. Chan Ming Wing. After Sunday’s win Pearl Green’s record now reads 10 – 5 – 3, with only two unplaced runs in Macau and close to $4.25 Million HKD in prize money.
Luen On Dance Kid was originally purchased by the China Horse Racing Club at the 2016 Karaka Yearling Sale and trialled on four occasions in Australia under the Aquis Farm banner, for a win in a two-year-old trial at Newcastle. The gelding was then put through the 2017 Melbourne March Tried Horse sale where he was picked up by Geoff Allendorf for his long serving owner Thomas Lau for the modest sum of A$14,000. Luen On Dance Kid who is still only a four-year-old has stats of 6 – 3 – 3 and four unplaced runs and $1.5 Million HKD in prize money.
