David Hayes claimed his 700th Hong Kong winner and moved to within one win of the trainers’ championship summit with a race-to-race double that potentially unearthed a future star at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
Hayes’ incredible season continues – tonight marked five wins in the last two meetings, and the 700 wins come from 15 seasons across two spells in Hong Kong. But the two-time champion trainer spent only a moment reflecting on the landmark before turning his attention to unearthing a runner for this season’s showpiece event, the million Hong Kong Derby on 22 March.
In the first of his pair of winners, Dylan Browne McMonagle broke his Happy Valley duck with a hard-earned win aboard Hayes’ Romantic Son in the first section of the Class 3 Southorn Handicap.
It was the young Irishman’s third win of a three-month stint in Hong Kong.
“It was a very good job from Dylan [Browne McMonagle],” the Australian Racing Hall of Famer said. “I think he’s a high-class jockey and Hong Kong is just learning how good he is. I think you’ll find it’s just the start of many winners for him.”
The quickfire double was completed when Keith Yeung-guided China Win, having his first run in Class 3 company in the O’Brien Handicap (1800m), bore down on Tony Cruz’s long-time leader Liveandletlive to catch him on the line.
“It was a really good win. Keith [Yeung] rode a great race, and he’s a young horse, and just got a bit lost in the straight, but he’ll get much better with more racing.
“Two starts ago, he got beaten because he was making a few mistakes. And then he won from barrier 14 at Sha Tin like a good horse the other day (11 January). And today, I love the way he controlled the race. I just think the Tony Cruz horse gave a huge kick. And he’s good if he can get past him.”
With two wins and a second from China Win’s last three runs over 1800 metres, Hayes revealed he is now targeting the greatest prize of all for the son of Super Seth.
“I’m hoping he can keep winning and be a [Hong Kong] Derby contender. I’ll give him a try at 2000 (metres) next time.”
The brace was made all the sweeter by the fact that both horses were victorious in the famous Lindsay Park Racing silks.
“It’s good to have a double in my stable colours,” Hayes said. “That gave me a big thrill.”
Hayes’ 31st and 32nd successes of the season leave him second in the trainers’ championship, one win ahead of Caspar Fownes, and trailing Mark Newnham, who leads the way on 33.
That wasn’t the only milestone on an entertaining night of action.
David Eustace brought up 50 career Hong Kong wins in style as Ragga Bomb blasted the field to prevail by three lengths in the Class 4 Jaffe Handicap ridden by Hugh Bowman.
Early in the race, Hayes-trained Ka Ying Glory burst forward from gate eight to set a faster-than-standard opening two sections, before being slowly reined in by the field.
Eustace said afterwards that the five-year-old gelding had been threatening to make an explosive breakthrough, and the brisk pace was just what he needed.
“The race worked out absolutely perfectly, and that runaway leader gave him something to aim at,” Eustace said.
“He’s adapting to the tracks now and how quick they are. He’s learning how to race up and is getting better with every run.”
Eustace made it a double when Greater Bae eased to victory in the second section of the Class 3 Southorn Handicap (1200m), driven clear by Zac Purton, who himself registered a trio of wins.
Purton started as he meant to go on, taking out the Class 5 Fenwick Handicap (1000m) aboard Savvy Twinkle to open the card. He followed that up with a storming win aboard Danny Shum’s Thunder Blink in the Class 5 Fleming Handicap (1650m). It was the five-year-old’s first run since his transfer from the yard of Jimmy Ting and his third win from 16 starts.
Bowman moved to 31 wins for the season when he completed his brace. The Australian has now logged at least one win at each of the past five meetings. A barreling finish on Copartner Fleet (129lb) saw the Francis Lui inmate claim the night’s trophy contest, the Class 4 Hong Kong Football Club Centenary Cup Handicap (1000m).
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday (1 February) with the running of the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m).
