Latest news with #ClassFourAzaleaHandicap
South China Morning Post
15-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Unbeaten Crossborderpegasus highlights John Size's treble as he extends championship lead
Untapped three-year-old headlines master trainer's three-timer at Sha Tin on Saturday, adding to his premiership advantage over David Hayes A pair of progressive three-year-olds and a perennial placegetter helped deliver John Size a treble as the master trainer extended his championship lead again at Sha Tin on Saturday. Continuing his onslaught after bouncing back from a slow start to the season, Size moved to 42 wins – four clear of nearest rival David Hayes – after Crossborderpegasus, Lifeline Express and Juneau Pride saluted. Crossborderpegasus became the first leg of Size's three-timer when he maintained his unbeaten record at start two in the Class Four Azalea Handicap (1,200m) under Hugh Bowman. Sent off the $1.3 favourite after an impressive debut win last month, the Rich Enuff three-year-old again showed his inexperience when laying in over the concluding stages but he still proved half a length too slick for Lucky Symphony. Crossborderpegasus remains unbeaten! 👌@HugeBowman guides John Size's Rich Enuff speedster to a second straight win at Sha Tin... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 15, 2025 'He's going well. He's certainly got a bit of ability and it's just a matter of developing that,' said 12-time champion trainer Size. 'If he can improve on that, it will be promising for his future.' Lifeline Express snapped a streak of six placings – including four seconds – since his last victory when he broke through in the Class Three Angelonia Handicap (1,200m). Ridden by Andrea Atzeni, the Shooting To Win gelding stormed home from the second half of the field to comfortably beat Geneva by a length and three-quarters, justifying $3 favouritism. Three-year-old Juneau Pride capped Size's treble when he made it back-to-back triumphs in the Class Three Cosmos Handicap (1,400m). 'I don't know how far he'll go but everything he does is workmanlike and he's been a very honest horse, right from the first day,' Size said. Despite rising eight pounds on his last-start win, Juneau Pride took advantage of a soft run in midfield from gate two and ran on solidly between runners in the straight. The Pride Of Dubai gelding accounted for Eighty Light Years by three-quarters of a length as the $1.75 first elect. John Size extends his championship lead! 🔥 The Australian Racing Hall of Famer scoops a treble as Juneau Pride impresses once again... @brentonavdulla #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 15, 2025 He boasts a strong record of three wins and four placings from seven starts and capped a Saturday double for in-form jockey Brenton Avdulla. The Australian rider was also successful aboard Pierre Ng Pang-chi's Soaring Bronco in the Class Five Dahlia Handicap (1,600m). Elsewhere on Saturday's card, Hayes bagged his 38th victory of the season when World Hero made all in the Class Five Snapdragon Handicap (1,200m) under Luke Ferraris. 'He's only three, so I'd expect him to have his better seasons next year and the year after,' Hayes said after World Hero scored his maiden win at start 10. 'It just seems like he's been here a long time as he came here as a two-year-old. Physically he'll get better as he matures. I've always thought he's a 1,400m [horse] and a miler.'
South China Morning Post
15-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Sunlight Power helps brighten dark and gloomy Sha Tin day as Hugh Bowman bags treble
Ricky Yiu's consistent galloper continues his fruitful season with victory in the Class Two Kowloon Tong Club Trophy (1,600m) It felt like the middle of the night at the halfway point of Saturday's meeting but a barnstorming victory from Sunlight Power was enough to brighten things up a touch at Sha Tin. After a wall of heavy rain and gusty winds put a stop to proceedings for half an hour after five of the 10 races, Sunlight Power thundered to victory in the Class Two Kowloon Tong Club Trophy (1,600m) to continue his impressive season and deliver Hugh Bowman a treble. With the track downgraded to good-to-yielding, $1.8 favourite Sunlight Power sat just off midfield under Bowman before thundering home down the outside to salute by two and three-quarter lengths from second elect Voyage Samurai. 'It was a pretty solid speed set up front [and] that suited him. Obviously he's performed well on rain-affected ground before and he just got into a beautiful rhythm and his class shone,' said Bowman, who moved to 48 wins for the season thanks to his three-timer. Class act! Sunlight Power wears down Voyage Samurai in the Kowloon Tong Club Trophy as @HugeBowman makes it a hat-trick at Sha Tin... 🔥#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 15, 2025 'It's been a good day. I had some nice rides. Take it when you can.' Sunlight Power's third victory of the campaign will see him rise to a triple-figure rating and trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai may consider running his five-year-old in the Group Two Chairman's Trophy (1,600m) on March 30. 'He got a good gate [one] and a decent tempo and he enjoyed it. The horse doesn't mind the track conditions, which are on the slow side, and it was a very good finish, which surprised me a little bit,' said Yiu. 'As soon as he's under pressure he still wants to lay in but he's making good progress. There's still a bit of improvement in him. He's full of energy and he tries hard. Crossborderpegasus remains unbeaten! 👌@HugeBowman guides John Size's Rich Enuff speedster to a second straight win at Sha Tin... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 15, 2025 'I presume he'll be just above 100 so we can look at a Group [race], but I want to give him a bit of space. He's done well this season so far.' Bowman's earlier wins came aboard John Size's Crossborderpegasus and the Caspar Fownes-trained Monarch County. Crossborderpegasus continued his unblemished start to his career, improving his record to two wins from two starts by taking out the Class Four Azalea Handicap (1,200m) as the $1.3 favourite. 'He's an exciting horse, he's got plenty of points in hand. He does have that tendency to lay in, which he needs to overcome as he goes up in the rating points, but we won't be too critical of him at his second run in a race,' Bowman said after the three-year-old did enough to see off Lucky Symphony by half a length after travelling two back on the rail. Grinding to victory! 💪 Caspar Fownes' Monarch County - a graduate of the Hong Kong International Sale - relishes the challenging conditions at Sha Tin to bring up a @HugeBowman double... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 15, 2025 Hong Kong International Sale graduate Monarch Country broke through at start five in the Class Four Hydrangea Handicap (1,400m) – the first race after the weather delay. Hunted up by Bowman to settle three-wide with cover in midfield from gate 11, Monarch County barrelled home down the middle of the track to see off Pearl Of Pang's by a length and a quarter as a well-backed $4.3 chance. Bowman's treble saw him move 15 wins clear of jockeys' championship third placed Brenton Avdulla, but he is still a massive 36 victories short of runaway leader Zac Purton, who has now been sidelined by injury for more than a month.
