Latest news with #CapFerrat
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
Mark Newnham left to rue what might have been with ‘brave' Hong Kong Derby runner-up My Wish
My Wish (right) falls narrowly short of Cap Ferrat (left) in Sunday's Hong Kong Derby (2,000m). Photos: Kenneth Chan Mark Newnham was left to rue what might have been after he and jockey Luke Ferraris went within a short head of orchestrating a brilliant BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) victory with My Wish at Sha Tin on Sunday. After being lumped with the outside gate of 14, Newnham and Ferraris hatched a plan to take second favourite My Wish – who has done most of his racing on or near the speed – back to last. In a race run at a crawl from the 1,600m to the 800m before they rattled home, Ferraris unleashed My Wish in the home straight but the Classic Mile winner fell just short of winner Cap Ferrat despite steaming home with a final 400m of 21.39 seconds. 'Very brave. He's been the best four-year-old through the series,' said Newnham after My Wish added a Derby second to his runner-up finish in the Classic Cup (1,800m) earlier this month. 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 'On Thursday, we probably knew our fate but to run so close, it's disappointing. We came up with a plan of where to ride him and how to ride him. All that went to script except we got beaten a short head. 'We needed to do something from gate 14. It was no good going out there just hoping to get a spot. I thought our best chance was just to get him to relax, conserve energy and use his sprint. 'He did all those things and Luke did all the right things, we just didn't quite win. 'The winner – gate two, third on the fence, didn't come round a horse. That's the way it fell today but in the future we've got a very good horse.' My Wish holds an entry for the Group One Champions Mile at the end of next month, but Newnham isn't yet sure where his stable star will head next. 'He's a very good horse, there's no doubt about that. In all his starts, he's never run badly,' said the Australian handler. 'He's missed a place once and that was his first start at 1,000m. I think there's still improvement to come in him next year, so there's a very good future for him. 'He didn't quite get the job done today but I'm sure his turn will come.' Moreira bags brace While a third Derby victory narrowly eluded him, Joao Moreira had a fruitful afternoon at Sha Tin all the same, landing a double with victories aboard Packing Hermod and Master Trillion. Moreira may have thought he was poised to add to his Derby victories aboard Rapper Dragon (2017) and Sky Darci (2021) when Packing Angel travelled strongly into the race from midfield, but the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained galloper couldn't quite go on with it and had to settle for a neck third. 'He ran terrific. He travelled a little bit strong – if he relaxed a little bit more the result could have been different, but that was a huge run,' said Moreira. It was a different story for stablemate Packing Hermod, who stepped back in trip for the Class Two Rapper Dragon Handicap (1,400m) after running in the first two legs of the Classic Series. Packing Hermod equals the 1400m Sha Tin track record with a slick 1m 19.92s! Joao Moreira does the riding for Francis Lui at Sha Tin... 🚀@cavaleiro83 | #4YOSeries | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 23, 2025 Sent off a $2.05 favourite, Packing Hermod closed strongly from a midfield position to defeat Young Champion by three-quarters of a length and stay perfect in two runs under Moreira. On a day featuring quick times across the card, Packing Hermod stopped the clock in 1:19.92 to equal Encouraging's 1,400m Sha Tin track record. Moreira was one of three big-name jockeys to jet into Hong Kong and bag a brace, with Craig Williams successful aboard Cap Ferrat in the Derby and Endeared, while Ryan Moore saluted aboard Super Express and Invincible Shield. The victory of debutant Super Express in the Class Four Luger Handicap (1,400m) was the first of a double for John Size, who also delivered with Endeared. Fownes and Hamelin break through Trainer Caspar Fownes and French jockey Antoine Hamelin teamed up for their first winner at their 35th attempt as Sky Deep broke his maiden at start six in the Class Four Sky Darci Handicap (1,400m). After consecutive seconds, including last start under Hamelin when he lost his way in the straight and hit the running rail, Sky Deep fended off Harold Win late to grab an overdue success. Three wins from his last nine rides! 🙌 An in-form @AntoineHamelin gets Sky Deep home in the Sky Darci Handicap - a contest named in honour of the 2021 @BMW Hong Kong Derby hero, who also raced for the Kwan family... 💛💚#4YOSeries | #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 23, 2025 'You've got to give people a chance. It's hard in Hong Kong, but he's done nothing wrong on this horse,' Fownes said of Hamelin, who has ridden three winners from his last nine rides to move to five victories for the season. 'The horse is quite immature and has his own mind a little bit. We're trying to teach him the right way. 'It's good for Antoine. It's his first winner for me and I think this horse has a chance to win again. 'I think next season this horse will be a different horse. He'll really understand what his job is and he could be quite nice.'
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
23-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Francis Lui celebrates second Hong Kong Derby win as maiden Cap Ferrat pulls off stunning upset
Jockey Craig Williams, trainer Francis Lui (second from right) and connections of Cap Ferrat celebrate his Derby triumph. Photos: Kenneth Chan Francis Lui Kin-wai produced a training performance for the ages to win his second BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) when Australian import Cap Ferrat broke maiden status with a stunning victory on Sunday. Sent out a $26.7 chance after unlucky runs in the Classic Mile and Classic Cup (1,800m), Cap Ferrat lived up to his pre-import form by holding on late to narrowly beat My Wish in a pulsating finish. After a cosy run in the box seat under Craig Williams, Cap Ferrat capitalised on an inside run to snatch the lead at the 150m and prevail by a short head from the fast-finishing My Wish. 'I still feel very excited,' said Lui after adding the triumph to his first Derby success with champion galloper Golden Sixty in 2020. 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 'I watched [the replay] three times and then I got confident he won the race.' Cap Ferrat was the first Hong Kong maiden to win the Derby in 35 years – Reliable Source landed his first victory in the city in the prestigious race in 1990 – while it's unclear if a maiden has ever won the feature. The son of Snitzel arrived in Hong Kong as one of Australia's highest-profile maidens, having been placed in four stakes races including the Group One Spring Champion Stakes (2,000m) and Group One Rosehill Guineas (2,000m). His move to Lui started on a positive note when he ran an eye-catching second to Mickley over 1,600m in December. However, his Classic Mile tilt was thwarted by a wide run without cover throughout when 12th behind My Wish. He then could only manage ninth behind Rubylot in the Classic Cup after working hard early from gate 10. 'The last two runs he had [wide runs] and bad luck,' Lui said. 'I checked his [Australian] record and Craig rode this horse, so he knew the horse. Today he also had a good draw [barrier two], he was very lucky and Craig knows how to ride this horse. He did a good job.' Lui's Packing Angel ran on strongly for a close third, while the $2.9 favourite Rubylot could only manage fifth after finishing solidly without threatening. Lui's second Derby win continued an incredible run of success for a trainer who battled in the bottom half of the championship for the first 20 years of his career. The 66-year-old has been on the rise since Golden Sixty and he won his maiden title in remarkable fashion last year, claiming four of the last five races of the season to beat Pierre Ng Pang-chi by a solitary victory. Cap Ferrat crowned a treble for Lui at Sha Tin, with the veteran also striking with Packing Hermod in the Class Two Rapper Dragon Handicap (1,400m) and Invincible Shield in the Class Three Werther Handicap (1,200m). Dropped back in trip after contesting the Classic Mile and Classic Cup, Packing Hermod will be thrust into feature races in the future after his fifth win from nine starts will see him rated close to 100. 'It depends because he's had some hard racing this season and he's still young,' Lui said after Packing Hermod equalled the track record when he beat Young Champion by three-quarters of a length. 'I think he still has room to improve, this horse.' Another Australian import, Invincible Shield, continued his impressive start to his Hong Kong career with a second straight victory. Despite rising 11 pounds on his second-up win, the son of I Am Invincible ran on powerfully to beat Triumphant More by a length and a quarter under Ryan Moore.
