Latest news with #Conghua
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Jamie Richards fined HK$100,000 for failing to report horse's lameness before trial
Jamie Richards has been fined HK$100,000 for failing to report that Celestial Colours was lame in his right fore leg before trialling at Conghua last week. Richards was found guilty of a charge under rule of racing 50 (6), which states that 'each trainer shall, as soon as practicable, report to the veterinary officer or the veterinary surgeon any condition, abnormality, injury or sickness to any horse under his care'. After 'sustaining an injury to its right fore leg when it competed in batch one of the Conghua barrier trials on May 13', Celestial Colours was officially retired last Friday. 'In determining penalty, the stewards took into consideration his clean record in approximately 13 years of training racehorses, the nature and circumstances of the breach and that Mr Richards had, prior to May 13, been providing the appropriate veterinary care to the horse,' said Jockey Club chief steward Marc van Gestel in a statement.
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Dennis Yip backs Fast Network to overcome big weight and hot field in Class Two sprint
Veteran handler rates his exciting sprinter a strong chance despite lumping 135lbs against strong opposition on Saturday Dennis Yip Chor-hong is confident Fast Network can continue his hot form in Saturday's Class Two Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin as a potential tilt at the Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1,200m) looms for the exciting sprinter. A stunning four-length winner of the Class Two Barker Handicap (1,200m) last start, Fast Network headlines what is one of the best Class Two sprint fields assembled in Hong Kong in recent times. The Wrote four-year-old will lump top weight of 135lbs against the likes of the returning Wunderbar, five-time winner Bottomuptogether, the in-form Invincible Shield, Gorgeous Win and Gustosisimo. While Yip highlighted Francis Lui Kin-wai's Invincible Shield as a big threat chasing a fourth straight win, the veteran handler is pleased with Fast Network's progress since his demolition job on March 30. 'I checked the entries and Francis Lui's horse looks quite good, but I think my horse has very good form,' Yip said. Last out and first home! 👌 Exciting sprinter Fast Network crushes his rivals as 1.4 favourite with @HugeBowman for Dennis Yip at Sha Tin... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 30, 2025 'He enjoys it up at Conghua – he's very happy. He keeps improving.' Since finishing a strong fourth to My Wish in January's Classic Mile, Fast Network has relished dropping back in distance with a pair of impressive victories. He stormed home from last under star Kiwi jockey James McDonald to score in a Class Three 1,200m before his breathtaking display last start under Hugh Bowman, who retains the ride for Saturday's race. Despite jumping only fairly and settling at the rear of the seven-horse field, Fast Network unleashed an explosive turn of foot to comfortably account for Bottomuptogether, who boosted the form by winning his next start on the dirt. While Fast Network rises five pounds on that success, Yip is adamant he won't have an issue shouldering the big weight while he has the advantage of barrier one in the field of 12. 'He won with weight last time and two starts ago with James McDonald, he won with top weight [of 135lbs],' Yip said. Bottomuptogether only meets Fast Network two pounds better from their previous encounter, with Frankie Lor Fu-chuen's classy sprinter rising to a mark of 100 off the back of a dominant last-start triumph. Wunderbar's return will command plenty of attention given he holds the title as the only horse to have beaten the world's best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising. John Size's quality galloper hasn't risen to the same heights as Ka Ying Rising since beating him in back-to-back races in January last year, but he did continue his winning ways with victories in his first two starts of the current season. Size opted to give the four-year-old a break after his last-start defeat in January and he has impressed in four Conghua trials ahead of Saturday's race. Champion jockey Zac Purton, who has been a regular rider of several top contenders in the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road Handicap, has opted to ride Bottomuptogether. That decision paved the way for fellow Australian Brenton Avdulla to take the reins of Wunderbar for the first time. Another key booking is Lyle Hewitson on Invincible Shield, who has been booted home by visiting riders Tom Marquand, Ryan Moore and Craig Williams in his past three starts. Saturday's Class Two sprint looms as a likely curtain-raiser for the Sha Tin Vase on May 31, particularly for Fast Network who boasts a rating of 103. However, Yip won't confirm future plans for the talented galloper until after Saturday. 'We'll see how he goes and check how he pulls up first,' Yip said.
South China Morning Post
06-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
The state of play as the Hong Kong racing season approaches halfway
There's a familiar face at the top of the riding ranks, the race for the trainers' title is wide open and the Horse of the Year battle could be the most even in years by Sam Agars on Thursday, February 6, 2025 4:54 PM Ka Ying Rising scorches to victory in last month's Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m). Photos: Kenneth Chan The completion of this Sunday's Sha Tin meeting will mark the halfway point of the 2024-25 season and the time seems right to check in on how things stand after five enthralling months of racing. There's a familiar face at the top of the riding ranks, while the race for the trainers' title is wide open and the Horse of the Year battle could be one of the most even in years. Purton powers on So much has been made of Zac Purton's bettering of Douglas Whyte's all-time Hong Kong win record that the superb season the Australian is compiling has gone somewhat under the radar. Purton's double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night took him to 82 victories from the first 43 meetings of the season, meaning he's on track to ride about 168 winners. Purton's haul of 20 victories in January represented his best month of the season so far and it's certainly not too much of a stretch to think he could find that extra half a gear needed to give his own single-season win record of 179 a shake. Purton is a full 20 winners ahead of where he sat at this point of last season and he's one of a swag of jockeys, including Hugh Bowman, Luke Ferraris and Matthew Poon Ming-fai, who are travelling better than they were 12 months ago. The biggest sliders are Karis Teetan, who has 23 less wins than at this stage of the 2023-24 campaign, Angus Chung Yik-lai and Alexis Badel. Trainers trade blows While the drama of last season's trainers' title fight may never be replicated – Francis Lui Kin-wai won four of the last five races of the term to pip Pierre Ng Pang-chi by one win – things are certainly perfectly poised this season. With 46 winners, the barnstorming Ng led by 14 from Lui approaching the halfway mark of the 2023-24 campaign, with Ricky Yiu Poon-fai another four victories back in third. This campaign, however, things have been much more evenly spread and there are no fewer than 10 trainers within 10 wins of leader Danny Shum Chap-shing's 29 successes. Ng and David Hayes sit on 28 while Yiu, John Size and Mark Newnham are close behind on 26. This campaign's biggest improvers have been second-season trainers Newnham and Cody Mo Wai-kit, while David Eustace has hit the ground running in his debut Hong Kong term and Ng has been the one whose output has decreased the most. Down the bottom of the table, everyone is on track to meet the newest version of the Jockey Club's trainers' criteria – 14 wins for single-site handlers and 16 for those with a Conghua base – except Jimmy Ting Koon-ho, who is on track for a second consecutive strike after only five winners so far. While it would require a third strike to endanger Ting's career, Benno Yung Tin-pang – who continues to undergo treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia – could be forced into retirement at the end of the season after turning 66 in December. His departure would be offset by the expected arrival of South African trainer Brett Crawford, which is poised to be made official on Friday. Trio a class above The six Group One victories achieved by Hong Kong horses this season have been spread evenly between three horses – Romantic Warrior, Voyage Bubble and Ka Ying Rising. As it stands, Romantic Warrior has his nose in front in the Horse of the Year running thanks to victories in the city's richest race, the Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), and glory overseas in the Jebel Hatta (1,800m) in Dubai last month. — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) December 31, 2024 However, Romantic Warrior will next run in the Group One Saudi Cup (1,800m), tackling the dirt for the first time, and is unlikely to race in Hong Kong again this season. There will be no easy kills for Romantic Warrior abroad and if the highest-earning racehorse in history doesn't win again this season, it very much opens the door for Voyage Bubble and Ka Ying Rising, either of whom could easily finish the season with four elite-level successes and a maiden Horse of the Year gong.
South China Morning Post
26-01-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Poon suspended for two meetings for attempting to hit Leung with his whip
After being accidentally struck by his fellow jockey, the 31-year-old vents his frustrations in the final stages of a Conghua trial last week by Sam Agars on Monday, January 27, 2025 8:38 AM Jockey Matthew Poon enjoys a recent winner. Photo: Kenneth Chan Matthew Poon Ming-fai has been suspended for two meetings for attempting to hit Derek Leung Ka-chun with his whip during a Conghua trial last week. In a hearing at Sha Tin on Sunday, stewards found that Poon 'did intentionally extend his left arm out towards Leung in an attempt to make contact'. Poon, who was riding Qingyuan Star, went for Leung after he 'accidentally struck Poon with his whip as he was riding his mount [Manaphy] out' near the 200m and again near the 50m in batch 10 of Friday morning's Conghua trials. 'Whilst stewards accepted the contact by Leung was accidental, he was advised that he should, wherever possible, ensure his whip arm does not extend too far away from his body, which may result in contact with another rider or horse,' reads the stewards report. 'Poon was found guilty of using his whip in an improper manner in that after being accidentally struck by the whip of Leung, he did intentionally extend his left arm out in an attempt to make contact with Leung'. Poon will miss the feature meeting at Sha Tin on February 23 and the Happy Valley fixture on February 26. 'In assessing penalty, stewards considered that the incident occurred in a barrier trial and also considered Poon's excellent record in relation to similar conduct.'
