![New Forest dominates from the front to win the Tin Chak Handicap. [HKJC]](https://betsy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260121_Pic-2-21-Jan-scaled.jpg)
Preparing to chase HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) glory with champion Romantic Warrior on Sunday (25 January), Danny Shum clocked up his 900th Hong Kong win as a trainer at Sha Tin’s all-dirt meeting on Wednesday night (21 January).
Shum, 65, is the seventh most prolific trainer in Hong Kong racing history behind John Moore (1,735), John Size (1,632), Tony Cruz (1,583) Caspar Fownes (1,196), Ricky Yiu (1,083) and Francis Lui (1,003) after combining with Zac Purton for victories on Hong Kong International Sale graduate Forever Folks (124lb) in the Class 4 Po Shek Wu Handicap (1800m) and Blazing Wind (124lb) in the Class 3 Shui Chuen O Handicap (1200m).
“I always say, the first 10 years of my training, I was not that good, but the last 10 years I’m doing much better because I’m more concentrated on my job,” said Shum, the mastermind behind Romantic Warrior’s record-breaking career.
“You can see the last 10 years, my results tell you a lot and I’ve had a lot of good horses to help, too.”
The winner of 11 Group 1s and a world record HK$240,105,697 in prizemoney, Romantic Warrior will clash with Voyage Bubble and My Wish in the Stewards’ Cup, the first leg of the Triple Crown.
New Forest (120lb) continued an impressive rise with a clinical victory in the HK$3.12 million Class 2 Tin Chak Handicap (1650m) as Mark Newnham extended his lead in the 2025/26 Hong Kong trainers’ championship and Andrea Atzeni posted a treble.
The Justify gelding led all the way for Atzeni to defeat Gorgeous Win (131lb) by a length and a half in 1m 38.25s with Talents Ambition (124lb) a further neck away in third placing.
Sent straight to the front by Atzeni, New Forest slotted his third win of the campaign – his fourth course and distance success – as Newnham slotted his 33rd victory of the season to lead Fownes (30), David Hayes (27), Shum (27), Manfred Man (21) and Size (20).
“In a small field, he got control of the pace and he’s always hard to beat when he does that,” Newnham said. “He had a very easy time of it, which made it harder for Talents Ambition, but it helped New Forest.”
Newnham confirmed Talents Ambition would not travel to Dubai and instead be aimed at local targets.
“We can build on this season with both of them – there will be other races for them. Talents Ambition has been running consistently well but he needs a pace on as he gets back,” Newnham said.
Atzeni said: “He’s (New Forest) a very uncomplicated horse, who likes to go forward. In the small field, with the light weight, he was a nice ride to pick up. It was a nice win.”
Atzeni twice teamed with 13-time Hong Kong champion trainer Size, scoring with Noble Deluxe and Sight Dreamer, to have 19 wins for the campaign.
“I came here tonight with good rides, they all had chances,” Atzeni said. “So, it’s not really a surprise (to ride three winners), but it’s never easy to ride a treble. Looking at my rides that I had for the night, it’s not a big surprise.”
Size continued his surge in the 2025/26 trainers’ championship when Noble Deluxe (122lb) triumphed in the Class 5 Kam Shan Handicap (1200m) before the master horseman struck again with Sight Dreamer (125lb) in the Class 4 Diamond Hill Handicap (1650m).
Referring to Noble Deluxe, Size said: “There’s a race for every horse in Hong Kong and that might be his,” said Size. “He did win like a horse that would win again and I’d be hopeful he will in time. He got in a nice position and the class of the race helped a bit too.”
“He’s a healthy and sound horse – he’s always in good shape but sometimes his commitment isn’t quite what it should be. Hopefully he can kick on from here.”
Brett Crawford celebrated a double with Celestial Harmony (128lb) under Lyle Hewitson in the Class 5 Silvermine Handicap (1650m) and Speedy Smartie (121lb), who thrashed his rivals in the first section of the Class 4 Marble Handicap (1200m) for Karis Teetan.
Me Tsui struck with Vulcanus (135lb) under Maxime Guyon in the second section of the Class 4 Marble Handicap (1200m) before Dylan Browne McMonagle drove Dragon Air Force (130lb) to victory for Yiu in the Class 3 Green Island Handicap (1650m).
Hong Kong racing continues this Sunday (25 January) at Sha Tin with the running of the HK$13 million G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), as the first leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, and the HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) as the first leg of the Triple Crown.
