Penny Lane fights to give Tony Millard his second victory of the night
HKJC
Trainer Tony Millard was singing in the rain after two of his stable's "iron horses", Supreme Flight and Penny Lane (NZ) (Keeper), gave the handler a double at a remarkably resilient Happy Valley tonight (Wednesday, 19 October).
The city track was hit with a deluge as 332.4 millimetres (13 inches) of rain fell in the 24 hours leading up to the opening event. A black rainstorm warning, hoisted at 4:00 P.M., saw the first race delayed by 15 minutes.
Yet the track handled the significant torrent with ease, the surface upgraded to yielding for the first two races before again being upgraded to good-to-yielding for race three onwards and eventually returning to the optimal good rating for the final event.
Millard was one trainer who didn't mind the softer conditions under foot, though, with his two winners both older horses relishing the cushion in the track, although both also received exceptional front-running rides.
Supreme Flight provided the first leg of his brace with a gutsy on-pace win under 7-pound claimer Jack Wong in the night's fourth event, the Class 4 Kam Shan Handicap (1200m).
Two races later, Penny Lane caused a minor surprise at 28-1 by leading all the way under a perfectly-rated Karis Teetan steer.
"Karis rode him perfectly there, those sectionals show that," Millard said. "He's been a bit suspect at 1650m in the past because he has a wind problem, but he showed fight there to hold off the challenger. He's another good Hong Kong horse, that's his sixth win now but his first at Happy Valley and he is the type who will always win here and there."
Jockeys Douglas Whyte and Chad Schofield scored riding doubles of their own, but at reverse ends of the evening.
Whyte began strongly, taking the opening Class 5 Tai Lam Chung Handicap (1000m) on Gary Ng's St Yazin (NZ) (Keeper) before adding the first of the night's trophy races, the Class 3 Fakei Cup (Handicap) over 1650m on Tony Cruz-trained Wah May Baby, pushing him up to outright second on the jockeys' championship with 13 wins.
"Wah May Baby got the favours today," Whyte said. "I was riding him a bit towards the end of last season and he was running seconds and thirds, but he just seemed a bit too dour for sprints at his age. So today, when Mr Potential led at a strong tempo, he was able to relax and almost go to sleep. Off the good speed, he was able to sprint very strongly. On that, he can win again."
"As for St Yazin, it was a matter of everything colliding at once – drawing one instead of 12, the wet track, the drop into Class 5, the cut back in distance. He's a bit quirky but he showed some real courage today, it was the old St Yazin again.
Racing resumes at Sha Tin on Sunday 23 October, with the G2 Premier Bowl (Handicap) over 1200m and the G2 Oriental Watch 55th Anniversary Sha Tin Trophy (Handicap) over 1600m the two features. -HKJC
The city track was hit with a deluge as 332.4 millimetres (13 inches) of rain fell in the 24 hours leading up to the opening event. A black rainstorm warning, hoisted at 4:00 P.M., saw the first race delayed by 15 minutes.
Yet the track handled the significant torrent with ease, the surface upgraded to yielding for the first two races before again being upgraded to good-to-yielding for race three onwards and eventually returning to the optimal good rating for the final event.
Millard was one trainer who didn't mind the softer conditions under foot, though, with his two winners both older horses relishing the cushion in the track, although both also received exceptional front-running rides.
Supreme Flight provided the first leg of his brace with a gutsy on-pace win under 7-pound claimer Jack Wong in the night's fourth event, the Class 4 Kam Shan Handicap (1200m).
Two races later, Penny Lane caused a minor surprise at 28-1 by leading all the way under a perfectly-rated Karis Teetan steer.
"Karis rode him perfectly there, those sectionals show that," Millard said. "He's been a bit suspect at 1650m in the past because he has a wind problem, but he showed fight there to hold off the challenger. He's another good Hong Kong horse, that's his sixth win now but his first at Happy Valley and he is the type who will always win here and there."
Jockeys Douglas Whyte and Chad Schofield scored riding doubles of their own, but at reverse ends of the evening.
Whyte began strongly, taking the opening Class 5 Tai Lam Chung Handicap (1000m) on Gary Ng's St Yazin (NZ) (Keeper) before adding the first of the night's trophy races, the Class 3 Fakei Cup (Handicap) over 1650m on Tony Cruz-trained Wah May Baby, pushing him up to outright second on the jockeys' championship with 13 wins.
"Wah May Baby got the favours today," Whyte said. "I was riding him a bit towards the end of last season and he was running seconds and thirds, but he just seemed a bit too dour for sprints at his age. So today, when Mr Potential led at a strong tempo, he was able to relax and almost go to sleep. Off the good speed, he was able to sprint very strongly. On that, he can win again."
"As for St Yazin, it was a matter of everything colliding at once – drawing one instead of 12, the wet track, the drop into Class 5, the cut back in distance. He's a bit quirky but he showed some real courage today, it was the old St Yazin again.
Racing resumes at Sha Tin on Sunday 23 October, with the G2 Premier Bowl (Handicap) over 1200m and the G2 Oriental Watch 55th Anniversary Sha Tin Trophy (Handicap) over 1600m the two features. -HKJC