Packing Dragon has long had to settle in the shadow of his older half-brother, retired two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon, but the son of Mastercraftsman seized the chance to create a milestone of his own at Happy Valley on Wednesday night as Ricky Yiu's charge took the Happy Valley Million Challenge in a dramatic concluding night to the series at Hong Kong's city track.
The Happy Valley Million Challenge rewards horses racing in Group 3, Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 races at the circuit between September and February. This season's series, which began on 7 September, awarded points to the first four placegetters across 71 races – the winner given 15 points, the runner-up six points, the third placegetter four points and the fourth placegetter three points.
Heading into the night, five horses were in contention to win the series, headed by Tony Cruz-trained Happy Spirit on 46 points. Packing Dragon was sitting in fifth with 38 points and needed a victory and other favourable results to secure challenge honours. Both gallopers were engaged in the Class 1 Shan Kwong Handicap (1650m), with the trip short of Packing Dragon's best – something Yiu noted post-race.
"He really is better over 1650m and further but there was no choice here, this was the only race," Yiu said after Packing Dragon secured the HK$650,000 Happy Valley Million Challenge winners' cheque for owner Money Wong with a total of 53 points. "Luckily he was just able to get the win, get the highest points and win the trophy!"
Packing Dragon (115lb) jumped from the outside gate in the 11-horse field and quickly found himself in second under Chad Schofield, who celebrates his 23rd birthday tomorrow (16 February). He moved up to the lead approaching the 400m and stayed on dourly, just finding enough to hold off the late charge of Danny Shum's Circuit Land (133lb) and score by a head in a time of 1 min 39.22s, the fastest time recorded over the Happy Valley 1650m this season.
"I was a little surprised he got across near the front so quickly but he's always had to carry big weights," Yiu said. "Today, he had a light weight and a jockey who knows him and I don't think it was that bad to draw outside, because it gave Chad the chance to position him where he was comfortable. The fact he was able to come back to 1650m and win shows just how much he has improved throughout this season."
Yiu admitted that the Happy Valley Million Challenge hadn't been an early-season goal with the five-year-old grey, but two points-earning wins in 10 days at the city course in October and November made him a natural candidate.
"Normally, he wouldn't be the type of horse who would target at this series – most of the races are over 1200m or 1650m and those are the horses who you look at," Yiu said. "But he's a horse that needs 1800m or 2000m, just like his brother Ambitious Dragon, and when he got those two wins on the board, I thought he could have a chance."
Yiu bought the seventh foal of Oregon mare Golden Gamble at the 2013 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale from the draft of Belvedere Farm in New Zealand, just weeks after his Pins half-brother had won the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m).
"I loved him at first sight, I bought him as a yearling and he was only NZ$190,000 – about HK$1 million," the trainer said. "Now he's won HK$5.5 million plus today's bonus, so he's been good for the owners. I know most of the horses that win this series don't go on with it, but I hope I am the exception – he has kept surprising by the way he has improved, little by little. He's still only five so there's more for him I think."
Happy Spirit (113lb) weakened into 10th, three and three-quarter lengths from Packing Dragon, and while it ended his bid for Happy Valley Million Challenge glory, he still earned the series' runner-up cheque of HK$250,000.
Caspar Fownes-trained Victory Marvel, who did not race at Happy Valley tonight, remained third and snared HK$100,000 for his connections with 44 points. -HKJC
The Happy Valley Million Challenge rewards horses racing in Group 3, Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 races at the circuit between September and February. This season's series, which began on 7 September, awarded points to the first four placegetters across 71 races – the winner given 15 points, the runner-up six points, the third placegetter four points and the fourth placegetter three points.
Heading into the night, five horses were in contention to win the series, headed by Tony Cruz-trained Happy Spirit on 46 points. Packing Dragon was sitting in fifth with 38 points and needed a victory and other favourable results to secure challenge honours. Both gallopers were engaged in the Class 1 Shan Kwong Handicap (1650m), with the trip short of Packing Dragon's best – something Yiu noted post-race.
"He really is better over 1650m and further but there was no choice here, this was the only race," Yiu said after Packing Dragon secured the HK$650,000 Happy Valley Million Challenge winners' cheque for owner Money Wong with a total of 53 points. "Luckily he was just able to get the win, get the highest points and win the trophy!"
Packing Dragon (115lb) jumped from the outside gate in the 11-horse field and quickly found himself in second under Chad Schofield, who celebrates his 23rd birthday tomorrow (16 February). He moved up to the lead approaching the 400m and stayed on dourly, just finding enough to hold off the late charge of Danny Shum's Circuit Land (133lb) and score by a head in a time of 1 min 39.22s, the fastest time recorded over the Happy Valley 1650m this season.
"I was a little surprised he got across near the front so quickly but he's always had to carry big weights," Yiu said. "Today, he had a light weight and a jockey who knows him and I don't think it was that bad to draw outside, because it gave Chad the chance to position him where he was comfortable. The fact he was able to come back to 1650m and win shows just how much he has improved throughout this season."
Yiu admitted that the Happy Valley Million Challenge hadn't been an early-season goal with the five-year-old grey, but two points-earning wins in 10 days at the city course in October and November made him a natural candidate.
"Normally, he wouldn't be the type of horse who would target at this series – most of the races are over 1200m or 1650m and those are the horses who you look at," Yiu said. "But he's a horse that needs 1800m or 2000m, just like his brother Ambitious Dragon, and when he got those two wins on the board, I thought he could have a chance."
Yiu bought the seventh foal of Oregon mare Golden Gamble at the 2013 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale from the draft of Belvedere Farm in New Zealand, just weeks after his Pins half-brother had won the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m).
"I loved him at first sight, I bought him as a yearling and he was only NZ$190,000 – about HK$1 million," the trainer said. "Now he's won HK$5.5 million plus today's bonus, so he's been good for the owners. I know most of the horses that win this series don't go on with it, but I hope I am the exception – he has kept surprising by the way he has improved, little by little. He's still only five so there's more for him I think."
Happy Spirit (113lb) weakened into 10th, three and three-quarter lengths from Packing Dragon, and while it ended his bid for Happy Valley Million Challenge glory, he still earned the series' runner-up cheque of HK$250,000.
Caspar Fownes-trained Victory Marvel, who did not race at Happy Valley tonight, remained third and snared HK$100,000 for his connections with 44 points. -HKJC