Hong Lok Golf steps into the unknown: ‘If you never try, you never know'
Chris So-trained galloper's winning streak goes on the line at Happy Valley this Wednesday night
Hong Lok Golf will put his winning streak on the line when he faces a tricky test on Happy Valley debut this Wednesday night.
Victorious in five of six career starts – all at Sha Tin – including the past three on the bounce, Hong Lok Golf will step into unfamiliar territory for the Class Two Cheung Sha Handicap (1,650m).
Fresh from a successful Sha Tin Sunday thanks to the victory of Perfectday, trainer Chris So Wai-yin is confident his stable star will take to the city circuit despite having never even trialled there.
'We didn't have too many options for him but owner [Jackie Wong See-sum] really wanted to race him again, so we picked Happy Valley,' said So.
HONG LOK GOLF makes it five from six! 🔥
Chris So's rising star continues his red-hot form with a Class 2 win at Sha Tin under @HarryBentley_!#HKRacingpic.twitter.com/V6KVQIagyw — Hong Kong Racing (@HongKong_Racing) May 4, 2025
'It seems like he will handle the track but we don't know yet – we have to take a chance. If you never try, you never know.
'I told the owner that many things are unknown but he said 'we have to try'. I think it might suit him.'
So was thrilled to see Hong Lok Golf draw barrier four for his first appearance at the tight-turning Valley track, ensuring regular jockey Harry Bentley has options.
'It's a small field and having that good draw is most important. The horse is flexible – he can go in front or come from behind – and his form is still good,' said So of Hong Lok Golf, who coasted into second in a recent dirt trial. 'His trial was OK. It was just a soft trial and he looked good.'
After Hong Lok Golf's most recent victory in a Class Two on May 4, So put May 31's Group Three Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m) on the table for his galloper.
Four wins from five starts! 🤯
Hong Lok Golf just keeps getting better as Chris So lands a 400th Hong Kong win as a trainer... 👏 @HarryBentley_ #LoveRacing | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/O1DDJQPbRM — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 13, 2025
He eventually decided against throwing the son of Grunt in the deep end in a race won by Pray For Mir from 17lb out of the handicap.
Cody Mo Wai-kit's charge, who Hong Lok Golf defeated in that Class Two in early May, was hit with a 21-point ratings hike for his troubles.
Should Hong Lok Golf win again on Wednesday night and lift his rating well into the 90s, however, So will consider backing him up in the Group Three Premier Plate (1,800m) at Sha Tin on June 22.
'For the Group Three on the 31st, the handicap was no good for us. Cody's horse went up 21 points. That's no good – it's tough to win again,' said So.
'Maybe, we will see [whether we go to the Premier Plate] – let's see how he runs this week first. I want to give him a chance to run at Happy Valley and then we will see.
'I think the 1,650m is suitable for him now but eventually he may need further.'
Hong Lok Golf is one of four runners for So at the fourth-last Valley meeting of the season. He also saddles up Young Striker, Our Lucky Glory and Know At Heart.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Chris So has Group One hopes for Hong Lok Golf after exciting Happy Valley win
Group One goals could be on the agenda for Hong Lok Golf next season after the exciting galloper continued his rapid rise with a successful Happy Valley debut on Wednesday night. Sent off the $2.8 favourite for the Class Two Cheung Sha Handicap (1,650m), Hong Lok Golf settled sixth and worked into the race when Harry Bentley made his move on the turn. As the $3.5 second favourite Soleil Fighter shot to the lead early in the straight, Steps Ahead launched a determined challenge to hit the front at the 100m. But it was Hong Lok Golf who dug deep when it counted most, lifting down the centre of the track to edge Steps Ahead by a short head. Soleil Fighter was close behind in third. Hong Lok Golf added to his reputation as a rising star of Hong Kong racing with his sixth win from seven starts. The Chris So Wai-yin-trained gelding should arguably be unbeaten, with a luckless second to Righteous Arion at Sha Tin in February his only defeat. Class act, Hong Lok Golf! 🤯 Chris So's talent lifts his impressive record to six wins from seven starts, lunging late to deny Steps Ahead with a second straight Class 2 win... @HarryBentley_ #HappyWednesday | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) June 11, 2025 'I was worried about coming to Happy Valley for the first time, but I thought the horse could be flexible – he can lead, sit off the pace or come from behind - so it was worth the try,' said So. 'Every time he gives you a surprise - he's such a tough horse and never gives up, he always hits the line strongly. I hope he can be a Group One horse in time. 'I don't think we'll go for the Group Three [Premier Plate] next week, there is a [Class One] mile race on July 13 at Sha Tin that we can maybe look at, but we'll see how he pulls up and what the owner thinks.' HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. Bentley, who has been aboard Hong Lok Golf in all seven starts, labelled the four-year-old 'a jockey's dream'. 'This horse is just so tough and he really goes to the well,' Bentley said. Trainer Chris So (second from left), jockey Harry Bentley (centre) and connections of Hong Lok Golf celebrate. 'The pace was a bit sedate, perhaps, for him early on. We got a lovely run through following Steps Ahead but the straight here is a bit on the short side for him and it blunts his staying power, where Sha Tin really suits him with the long straight. 'Chris and his team have done a really good job in keeping him in tip-top shape until now.' A day after celebrating his 33rd birthday, Bentley notched a Valley double after also striking on Jimmy Ting Koon-ho's Smiling Emperor in the Class Five Tai Wo Ping Handicap (1,650m). Elsewhere on Wednesday night, Caspar Fownes extended his lead in the unofficial Valley trainers' championship with a race-to-race double courtesy of Autumn Delight and Capital Delight. Autumn Delight broke through at start six, capitalising on a dream run just off the speed from gate four to claim the second section of the Class Four Tai Hang Tung Handicap (1,200m) under Andrea Atzeni. Andrea Atzeni high-fives the Valley crowd after booting home Autumn Delight. 'It's nice when you can get a result with horses that have a lot of problems,' Fownes said of the four-year-old, who was struck down by a tendon injury last year. 'The owners have been very patient and now they're starting to get the rewards. I think this horse hopefully will improve and win another race before the season finishes.' Capital Delight successfully backed up from a closing second a week earlier to score a barnstorming triumph in the Class Four Tai Kok Tsui Handicap (1,650m) for in-form apprentice Ellis Wong Chi-wang, who has booted home eight winners since the start of May. Known as 'the King of the Valley', Fownes has recorded 25 wins at the city circuit this term. Mark Newnham is his nearest rival with 22. Karis Teetan also chimed in with a brace aboard Smart City and Definitive.
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Top China football boss says men's national team is ‘fourth rate and we never learn'
A top Chinese football boss has launched a scathing attack on the state of the game in the country, calling the national team a 'fourth-rate' side. Song Kai's damning verdict came after the men's side lost 7-0 to Japan last September, but was only revealed by state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday, in the first episode of the series Dialogue with Chinese Football, titled Disparity. The Chinese Football Association president made the comments when meeting with youth team coaches following the thrashing by their bitter rivals, but the documentary was aired the day after China beat Bahrain 1-0 in the final game of their ill-fated World Cup qualifying campaign on Tuesday. 'We really haven't done well at the national team level,' Song said. 'In the past, we were considered one of the best in Asia, but now we are only third- or fourth-rate, and we can't even compare with Australia and Japan. 'Is this football? This is not football. In the past 20 years, Japanese football has focused on elite youth training. Chinese football doesn't use the right methods, we don't work hard, we are not humble, and we don't learn.' China's Wang Yudong waves a flag in front of fans after the team's win against Bahrain. Photo: AFP In the match in Chongqing, 18-year-old forward Wang Yudong scored a 93rd minute penalty to give his side only their third win in the third round of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong should play all future matches at Kai Tak Stadium, goalscorer Pereira says
Hong Kong's match-winner Stefan Pereira said he hoped the city's football team could make Kai Tak Stadium their regular home after more than 42,000 fans roared them to victory there on Tuesday. A 1-0 defeat of India on the team's debut appearance at the new venue rewarded a crowd that dwarfed the 6,092 who showed up for a scoreless friendly with Nepal at Hong Kong Stadium last week. And Pereira, whose stoppage-time penalty earned Hong Kong three crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifying points, was keen to harness the fervour on show. 'I hope this can become our home ground – the atmosphere is amazing and everyone saw how we played,' Pereira said. 'We've never felt something like this. 'When we saw so many people screaming and supporting us, and shouting 'ga yau', it was an amazing feeling. We will win games here if we have these people supporting us. Hong Kong players celebrate winning their first match at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Sam Tsang 'I hope many people celebrate this victory, and the fans come to games more and more.'
