Hong Kong Jockey Club
Regency Legend maintained his unbeaten Hong Kong record with a tough win under Purton in the Class 2 Yuen Long Handicap (1200m). The exciting three-year-old conceded weight to all seven of his rivals but came out on top by a neck over Raging Blitzkrieg, having clocked a speedy 21.96s for the final 400m.
“In Class 2, carrying top-weight, it’s really hard, especially in Hong Kong,” trainer Danny Shum said of the 1.2 favourite’s performance.
“Now he’s won, he’ll go to the Class 1 where he won’t be carrying top-weight, and then we’ll give him two months off to refresh and we’ll see. We’ll let him relax a bit so that he’s not so tight. There’s no rush with him.”
Purton notched the second of his three wins on the card when Noble De Love stormed away with the Class 4 Pok Oi Cup Handicap (1200m). That was the Lor-trained six-year-old’s first start on the all-weather track.
Regency Legend raced as Espumoso in New Zealand and was a two-time juvenile winner for Murray Baker and Andrerw Forsman.
He also ran second in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes before his sale to Hong Kong interests.
Regency Legend was originally purchased at Karaka in 2017 by Pamsel investments for $50,000 and is out of the unraced O'Reilly mare Sparkling.
A half-brother by Savabeel is catalogued as Lot 423 in the Waikato Stud draft of this week's Book 1 session of New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales.