Preparing to partner Lucky Sweynesse in the HK$4.2 million G3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Saturday (31 May), Derek Leung struck top form with a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (28 May).
Excited to be taking his first ride on four-time Group 1 winner Lucky Sweynesse, Leung warmed up for the task with a three-timer on Wood On Fire, Prestige Good and Gracious Express to boost his 2024/25 tally to 26 wins, maintaining contact with Matthew Poon (34) and Matthew Chadwick (30), the front-runners for the Tony Cruz Award as leading homegrown jockey.
“It’s great to get a treble, everything went smoothly tonight,” Leung said after winning the Class 3 Seine Handicap (1200m) with Gracious Express for Ricky Yiu after the pair had earlier combined with Prestige Gold to land the Class 4 Sauternes’s Cup Handicap (1650m).
“He’s (Prestige Gold) a nice horse with a nice action – he’s also a big thinker so we gave him a good warm up behind the gates to make sure he jumped nice and to wake him up. Today, he showed his ability.”
Leung believes Lucky Sweynesse is primed for an improved showing in the Sha Tin Vase at the weekend when he faces fellow Group 1 winners Victor The Winner and Invincible Sage as well as Helios Express, who has been placed in all seven runs this season behind Ka Ying Rising.
“Slowly, he has been getting better and better. He’s not young anymore. After one year off, he’s had one run and after that run he’s shown improvement,” Leung said. “When I galloped him, he’s very smart – he knows what to do.
“After the winning post, he just switched off by himself. He’s very consistent and I hope he gets a good draw to help him.”
Leung also scored on veteran gelding Wood On Fire, who slotted his eighth win from 84 starts with success in the first section of the Class 5 Dordogne Handicap (1200m) for Michael Chang. By Per Incanto, the nine-year-old has won at least one race per season for the past five campaigns, having arrived in 2019 from New Zealand.
Young Arrow proved too strong in the second section of the Class 4 Ciron Handicap (1200m) under Hugh Bowman, fuelling Douglas Whyte’s belief the former Singapore galloper has the talent to contend in higher classes.
“He’s been very consistent in Class 3, so the drop (in class) and Hugh Bowman on, everything fell into place,” Whyte said. “He didn’t have the easiest of runs, but he had class on his side and that prevailed in the end.
“I’ve always suspected and had the opinion he’s a Class 3 horse. I’m grateful that he dropped to Class 4. He’s got that bit of confidence now and with a light weight, stepping back up to Class 3, with tactical speed and the big finish that he has, he can be effective in Class 3.”
Bowman sealed a race-to-race double when Caspar Fownes-trained Jumbo Legend came with a withering run to clinch the Class 3 Rhine Handicap (1650m). With six wins at Happy Valley over 1200m, 1650m and 2200m, Jumbo Legend again displayed his liking for the city circuit where Fownes has posted 21 wins this term – just one shy of Mark Newnham – after Sky Vino won the second section of the Class 4 Garonne Handicap (1650m) to give Fownes’ apprentice Ellis Wong a double.
John Size extended his lead in the trainers’ championship over David Hayes to six wins after Ping Hai Comet – a son of Maurice – landed the Class 4 Loire Handicap (2200m) under a well-judged Matthew Chadwick ride. The five-year-old defied stablemate Perfect Pairing in the run to the line.
Size has 58 wins to Hayes’ 52 with 13 meetings left in the season.
Vigor Ellegant notched his first win at his 10th start, surging clear late to land the second section of the Class 5 Dordogne Handicap (1200m) for Jerry Chau and trainer Manfred Man before Pierre Ng’s Bits Superstar broke through under Ellis Wong in the first section of the Ciron Handicap (1200m).
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Saturday (31 May) with the running of the HK$4.2 million G3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap (1200m) and the HK$4.2 million G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m).
By Leo Schlink
