Latest news with #4YOSeries
South China Morning Post
29-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Mark Newnham ‘proud' of My Wish as he maps out ambitious Group One campaign next season
Mark Newnham is ready for an exciting next campaign with My Wish (pink cap). Photos: Kenneth Chan My Wish is off for a well-earned rest but his trainer Mark Newnham is confident he has a bona fide Group One horse on his hands for next season. His four-year-old started the season winning off a rating of just 54 but has soared to incredible heights since that 1,200m success at Sha Tin. His crowning glory came back in January, when he was given a peach of a ride by Luke Ferraris to win the Hong Kong Classic mile ahead of a stacked field. My Wish ran two mighty seconds in the next two legs of the four-year-old Classic Series, bumping into a charging Rubylot in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1,800m) before a desperately unlucky run in the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m). Classy as! 👏 My Wish staves off challengers to capture the first #4YOSeries leg - the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile - with @LukeFerraris for Mark Newnham... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 31, 2025 He was forced to come from last and had to spin nearly eight-wide into the straight to make his challenge, thundering down the outside and recording the fastest final 400m sectional over 2,000m in Sha Tin history in the process. He confirmed his status as one to watch for next season when running a huge race behind Red Lion, Voyage Bubble and Sunlight Power in the Group One FWD Champions Mile and Newnham is looking ahead to some big targets. 'I thought he did us proud, like he did all season,' said Newnham. 'He's been very consistent horse right from the start of it. That'll do him this campaign, but he gives us every indication we can aim high next time around. 'He led all the way over 1,200m at the first meeting of the year, so he's done a really good job. Next season, hopefully we can aim for the [Hong Kong Mile] and then the Champions Mile again.' In the immediate future, Newnham is looking forward to the chances of Mission Strike, who has Zac Purton on for the first time in the Class Four Korea Racing Authority Trophy (1,800m). Mission Strike was always outpaced on debut at Sha Tin over 1,400m, but showed improved form over the 1,800m at Happy Valley, finishing third and a flashing-home second when given a mountain to climb from last off the turn. He took a small backwards step at Sha Tin last time, but Newnham is confident he has found the key to unlocking the best from his three-year-old. 'He was reluctant to come between horses and finish the race off last time,' said Newnham. 'He's going in the blinkers this time and his two runs over the 1,800m at Happy Valley before his last run at Sha Tin were good – I think it's a good race for him, especially back at Happy Valley. 'He seems to have reacted to the blinkers and hopefully it gives him a bit more confidence. He's only a young horse with limited experience, so it's understandable that he's still learning his craft. 'He's got enough talent to be winning races and he just needs a bit of help to get there. His slow starts have forced us into racing quieter early on. 'He drew well the other day and was closer – he didn't finish off the race like we hoped but I think that was more because of his reluctance to come between horses.'
South China Morning Post
21-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Young gun Luke Ferraris excited to test My Wish in strong Champions Mile
In the midst of a career-best season, young gun Luke Ferraris is excited to test four-year-old My Wish against quality opposition in Sunday's Group One Champions Mile at Sha Tin. The youngest jockey currently on Hong Kong's roster, 23-year-old Ferraris hopes to carry his momentum from an outstanding campaign into the city's second biggest meeting of the year. Ferraris' victory on Bright Inheritance at Sha Tin on Sunday boosted his haul of winners this term to 36, surpassing his previous best of 35 in 2022-23 with 24 meetings still to come. The South African will bid to upstage the likes of Hong Kong star Voyage Bubble and nine-time Australian Group One victor, Mr Brightside, when he rides My Wish in the Champions Mile. Classy as! 👏 My Wish staves off challengers to capture the first #4YOSeries leg - the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile - with @LukeFerraris for Mark Newnham... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 31, 2025 He also rides consistent sprinter Lucky With You in his latest clash with superstar Ka Ying Rising in the Group One Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m). A revelation this campaign with four wins and as many placings, the Mark Newnham-trained My Wish was the star of the recent four-year-old series with victory in the Classic Mile and seconds in the Classic Cup (1,800m) and Hong Kong Derby (2,000m). 'It's nice to have a horse like that to look forward to,' Ferraris said of the pint-sized My Wish. 'It's been an amazing journey so far, just with his progression from when he first came into the yard to where he is now. I don't think anyone in the stable would have believed you if you told them he'd be where he is today when he first stepped out on the track. It's been an amazing team effort – credit to Mark and his team.' My Wish drops back to 1,600m after a mesmerising Derby run, storming home from last after jumping from gate 14 to fall narrowly short of gunning down Cap Ferrat. The son of Flying Artie recorded the fastest final 400m over 2,000m at Sha Tin since sectional timing was introduced in 2008 when only beaten a short head. 'He reeled off an insanely quick time in the Derby,' Ferraris said. 'The barrier was just costly, but he seems to have come through it well. His work leading up to it has been good, his trial was nice and he came through that well. It's going to be a good test.' HISTORY AT SHA TIN! 👏👏@CWilliamsJockey wins the 148th @BMW Hong Kong Derby aboard Cap Ferrat for trainer Francis Lui over a fast-closing My Wish... #4YOSeries | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 23, 2025 Ferraris is hoping for a draw between one and six after My Wish has jumped from eight or wider in his past six starts. 'I think it will be interesting with the barriers – that's going to play a big part,' the rider said. 'My Wish has got gate speed but we don't want to burn too much energy early on. The mile's probably his comfort zone at the moment. It's obviously a really tough race, but I'll be hoping for a decent barrier.' Ferraris has built a successful partnership with Lucky With You in his three rides on Frankie Lor Fu-chuen's seven-year-old, guiding him to back-to-back Class One victories before a solid third to Ka Ying Rising in the Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m) last start. 'Lucky With You is just a soldier. He'll be running into the money,' said Ferraris, who will ride on Champions Day for the first time since 2022. As for the rest of the season, Ferraris plans to take it one meeting at a time rather than setting any specific goals. 'You can set those goals but then get frustrated at yourself when things aren't going your way, so I'm just looking to get the best out of each horse at each meeting,' said Ferraris, who sits fifth in the jockeys' championship. 'I've been doing that this season and it seems to be working, so we'll just continue with it. I think if I can keep the momentum rolling through, it should work out quite nicely. 'The support's been a lot better and more consistent and it's been good to capitalise on that.'
South China Morning Post
24-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Coolmore hoping for more Hong Kong interest after selling another Derby winner: ‘it's absolutely massive for us'
Breeding powerhouse Coolmore is hoping to foster further interest from Hong Kong owners after selling the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) winner for the second straight year. After Massive Sovereign won last year's Derby, having begun his career under Aidan O'Brien in Ireland, Cap Ferrat pulled off a superb upset at Sha Tin on Sunday following 13 starts for Chris Waller in Australia. 'It's absolutely massive for us. It's a big deal,' Mick Flanagan, Coolmore's head of international sales, told the Post. 'To be able to go to Sha Tin [on Sunday] having sold last year's Derby winner and to see the owners celebrating, it's just unbelievable. 'We sold 10 horses to Hong Kong last year, which is a lot, and we'd like to do the same again this year, if not more. We're open for business.' 👏 @CoolmoreAus @coolmorestud 👏 One world. One source. Last two HK Derby winners sold by Coolmore ☘️ — ANZ Bloodstock (@anz_news) March 24, 2025 While impeccably bred three-time Group One winner Russian Emperor, who is by Galileo out of Atlantic Jewel, is another Coolmore product sold to Hong Kong in recent years, there are still those who are sceptical when the breeding giant opts to offload. 'The owners here might say 'why would these guys sell these horses?', but it's a stallion operation, and if they're not going to be stallions, we need to sell them,' Flanagan said. 'Basically, if they're not going to be on the stallion brochure, we're more than happy to sell them. Coolmore predominantly is a stallion farm and the main driver of the business is stallion revenue. 'There's a big farming business behind it, a lot of land and a lot of families employed. We're still a commercial operation, so we have to sell anything that isn't going to make it as a stallion.' HISTORY AT SHA TIN! 👏👏@CWilliamsJockey wins the 148th @BMW Hong Kong Derby aboard Cap Ferrat for trainer Francis Lui over a fast-closing My Wish... #4YOSeries | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 23, 2025 Flanagan confirmed interest in Coolmore three-year-olds who could target the 2026 Hong Kong Derby as four-year-olds would ramp up around June. 'I think the picture is clearer post Royal Ascot. We start to decipher what will make the stallion barn and what we maybe need to move onto different jurisdictions,' he said. 'Hong Kong is a great market for both the northern and southern hemisphere, but in the northern hemisphere we have Saudi [Arabia], Bahrain, Dubai and the [United] States as well, so when our horses come up for sale it's pretty hot competition. 'We're lucky as salesmen that we have a good product to sell – they're the best bred, they're the best looking and they're very sound.' Cap Ferrat cops 19-point hit A year after Massive Sovereign took a massive 25-point hit for his Derby success, Cap Ferrat has been slugged a sizeable 19 points for his triumph in the Classic Series finale. While Massive Sovereign was lifted to a rating of 107 following his Derby win, Cap Ferrat now sits on a mark of 102 – the same as Romantic Warrior after his triumph in the race and one point less than Voyage Bubble. Runner-up My Wish moved to a rating of 101 after receiving a four-point hike for his effort. Derby attracts record crowd Cap Ferrat's victory was witnessed by a record Derby Day crowd of 61,681 at Sha Tin, with an unprecedented 8,567 of those on course travelling from the mainland to witness Hong Kong's most prestigious race. Those numbers came just days after the Jockey Club formalised a partnership with China Travel Service Hong Kong (CTS), something chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges labelled 'very significant'. A continuation of the club's efforts to promote tourism in the Greater Bay Area, the memorandum of understanding it signed with CTS will 'jointly promote horse racing tourism by including Happy Valley, Sha Tin and Conghua racecourses into CTS travel itineraries'.
South China Morning Post
23-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Craig Williams hails exciting Hong Kong Derby win on Cap Ferrat ‘a great thrill'
He's won some of the biggest races around the world but since getting his first taste of the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) 24 years ago, Craig Williams has desperately wanted to win the city's most coveted feature. On his 11th attempt, the star Australian jockey achieved that feat in a thrilling finish, lifting $26.7 chance Cap Ferrat to a remarkable maiden victory at Sha Tin on Sunday. 'It's great riding all around the world. Hong Kong is a place where I was very fortunate to get a contract and it made me the rider and the person I am today,' Williams said. 'It's lovely that I can come here with really nice horses [and] good friends that I have known for so many years in the crowd. HISTORY AT SHA TIN! 👏👏@CWilliamsJockey wins the 148th @BMW Hong Kong Derby aboard Cap Ferrat for trainer Francis Lui over a fast-closing My Wish... #4YOSeries | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 23, 2025 'The winning feeling doesn't get any sweeter, to win one of the greatest races here in Hong Kong. [Trainer] Francis Lui [Kin-wai] was a very big supporter of mine going way back 20 years ago, it's very special.' Williams maintained the faith in Cap Ferrat and Lui despite the son of Snitzel falling short of expectations in the lead up to the Derby. The prolific Group One-winning jockey answered the call-up from Lui to ride Cap Ferrat in the Classic Cup (1,800m), but a wide draw in barrier 10 forced him to work hard in the early stages and took a toll late when he ran ninth behind Rubylot. 'Francis rang me, he was at the Sydney yearling sales and I was on the Gold Coast and he said 'would you like to come ride Cap Ferrat?',' Williams said. 'I rode him when he was in Australia and I liked the horse. He had good 10-furlong form, he had two runs in Hong Kong – one was really good and one not so good – and I said 'I'd love to come over and ride him for you'. 'I rode him a few weeks ago and said 'if you get him right Francis, we know he's got the right form and the capability', but it was up to Francis and his stable. 'When he walked into the yard, the way he performed and he won, that's why Francis is such a great trainer. Full credit's got to go to Francis Lui, his team and obviously the horse. It gives me a great thrill.' Williams had Cap Ferrat perfectly placed from gate two, trailing pacesetter Lo Rider before taking a run on the inside rail to hit the front at the 150m. He scrambled in by a short head from My Wish, capping a double for Williams after he booted home John Size's Endeared in the Class Three Ambitious Dragon Handicap (1,400m). This season marked Williams' return to Hong Kong to ride for the first time since 2019. The now 47-year-old rode in the city full-time in 2003-04 and 2004-05, booting home 32 and 35 wins respectively. His biggest Hong Kong victory was on Dunaden in the Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) in 2011.
South China Morning Post
27-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
History on My Wish's side as he looks to snare more Classic Series glory
Seven of the past nine Classic Mile winners have gone on to taste further success in Hong Kong's prestigious four-year-old series and the Mark Newnham-trained My Wish will look to continue that trend, starting with this Sunday's Classic Cup (1,800m) at Sha Tin. A well-backed winner of last month's Classic Series opener, My Wish will look to join the likes of Sun Jewellery, Rapper Dragon, Golden Sixty and Helios Express in doing the Classic Mile-Classic Cup double. The highest-rated galloper in the field on 95, My Wish jumps from barrier nine under Luke Ferraris and his handler is quietly confident he has the tools to handle his first assignment at 1,800m. 'I've had confidence in him all season so there's no point backing down now,' Newnham said. Classy as! 👏 My Wish staves off challengers to capture the first #4YOSeries leg - the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile - with @LukeFerraris for Mark Newnham... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 31, 2025 'He was still strong late [in the Classic Mile]. He put himself in a winning position and once he got to the front he maintained it. He was still strong at the line. 'I think a fair chunk of the field are untested at that trip, including us, but the way he's relaxing now through his races, he's going to give himself every chance.' My Wish, who has four wins and two thirds to his name from six starts this season, looked to be maintaining his form with a nice trial third last week as Newnham sticks to a familiar formula. 'He's had exactly the same preparation pretty much all season. A month between runs and a trial in a between. I've been completely happy with him the whole way through,' Newnham said of his son of Flying Artie, who will find himself alongside the likes of Divano, Packing Angel, Packing Hermod and Rubylot near the top of the market this weekend. One galloper who isn't running in the Classic Cup but Newnham hopes isn't finished in the four-year-old series is Talents Ambition, who tackles the Class Three Yan Tin Handicap (2,000m). 'Hopefully that'll give him his chance to qualify for the Derby,' said Newnham of Talents Ambition, who was ninth in the Classic Mile and fourth reserve for the Classic Cup. 'He's a horse who has always suggested to me that he'll get over distance so it's a nice race to test him in. Blake Shinn is going to ride him and Blake rode my first ever winner as a trainer, so if he can do me a favour again this weekend I'd be more than happy.' Also among Newnham's hand is Ramadan, the Yulong-owned four-year-old who has taken a little while to settle into Hong Kong after being brought to the city with the Classic Series in mind. A long last behind the imperious Voyage Bubble in December's Group One Hong Kong Mile while under the care of James Ferguson, Ramadan has trialled three times since joining Newnham's stable. 'There's been no hurry with him,' Newnham said ahead of his charge's run in the Class Two Tai Hing Handicap (1,400m). 'I've been happy with his work the past couple of weeks and he trialled well. I galloped him on Tuesday morning and was happy with his work, so it was time to send him to the races.'
