Latest news with #LightYearsCharm
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Light Years Charm goes whoosh again at Sha Tin: ‘it's hard to know what the ceiling is'
Light Years Charm cruises to victory under Zac Purton at Sha Tin on Sunday. Photos: Kenneth Chan Light Years Charm continued his march up the ratings and trainer David Eustace's impressive first Hong Kong campaign kept rolling during the season's first twilight meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday. Chasing back-to-back victories on Class Two debut, Light Years Charm was sent off the $1.7 favourite for the Lee On Handicap (1,400m), but there were a few nervous moments for his supporters and connections. Not known for being the quickest away, Light Years Charm found himself detached from the field after being squeezed between horses early. Still last turning for home but looming ominously, Light Years Charm barrelled home down the outside under Zac Purton to salute by a length and a half eased down. Light Years Charm goes from last-to-first with a BANG in Class 2 at Sha Tin! ✨@EustaceRacing and @zpurton combine with the smart 4YO by Rubick, who soars to consecutive wins... #SummerSeries | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) June 8, 2025 'It was a perfect ride. The horse actually did jump better than he normally does but he got squeezed at the start,' said Eustace. 'Zac took his time and assessed the pace up front and the horse lengthened really well.' In a race run well over a second inside standard for the final 1,200m, Purton bided his time before pouncing on his tiring opponents. 'It was a really good effort. He actually didn't begin that bad but the runner on the inside and the runner on the outside both shifted ground so that put him on the back foot, but I just left him alone,' said the jockey. 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. 'The other guys were busy running their 1,000m race and when they were finished doing that, I just chimed in at the 400m and ran the race like it should have been run.' Trainer David Eustace with Zac Purton and the jockey's children, Cash and Roxy. Light Years Charm's third Hong Kong victory will lift his rating into the 90s and Eustace is considering one more run before turning his attention to next season with the four-year-old. 'There's a Class Two [1,400m] on July 1 which is fairly tempting. We'll see how we go,' said Eustace. 'He'll definitely appreciate a break [when it comes] and I hope he'll get better next season. He's doing nothing wrong at the moment. 'It's hard to know what the ceiling is. He's only four and he's a big, raw horse. It would be wrong for me to put targets on his back. We'll see how far he gets. 'He's obviously going to have to continue to improve, but hopefully he can.' Zac Purton after landing a double at Sha Tin on Sunday. Eustace took his total to 30 winners for the season and with the stable operating in solid form, he's hopeful of finishing the term with a flourish. '[I'm] happy with how it's gone so far. They've raced well and consistently, and the team at home are doing a great job. We'll try and round the season out well,' he said. The victory of Light Years Charm completed a double for seven-time Hong Kong champion jockey Purton after his earlier success aboard the John Size-trained Ping Hai Comet in the Class Four Lam Tin Handicap (1,600m). It was a super training effort from Size to have his five-year-old ready to win over the Sha Tin mile just 11 days after breaking his maiden with victory over 2,200m at Happy Valley. Size left Sha Tin with a brace of his own thanks to the later success of Majestic Express in the Class Three On Yam Handicap (1,000m). The master handler is edging ever closer to his 13th trainers' premiership after increasing his lead over the second-placed David Hayes to eight wins with 10 meetings remaining.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Zac Purton hopes Light Years Charm can put it all together on Class Two debut: ‘it's a much stronger field'
Zac Purton knows there will be much less room for error as Light Years Charm rises in grade for Sunday's Class Two Lee On Handicap (1,400m) at Sha Tin. In traffic turning for home after missing the start as the $1.5 favourite when last at the races on May 10, Purton had to pull out all the stops to drive Light Years Charm between horses late in proceedings. That half-length success was Light Years Charm's second victory to go with three placings from seven Hong Kong starts and the David Eustace-trained four-year-old now finds himself on a rating of 85 and locking horns with the likes of Healthy Happy, Young Champion, Invincible Shield and Chiu Chow Spirit. 'It's a much stronger field than what he's been racing against. He went back to the trials and seemed to jump a little bit better,' Purton said. 'Once he learns to jump out of the gates, he's going to make it a bit easier for himself. In this race it looks like they're going to go fast, there's a bit of speed there, so if he's flopping out of the gates and giving one or two lengths away and then they get running, he's all of a sudden going to be well out of the race. Check out this ride! 🙌 Timed to perfection, Rubick gelding Light Years Charm scores a sweet win with @zpurton for @EustaceRacing at Sha Tin... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 10, 2025 'He doesn't want that scenario, where he's chasing the whole way. But he gets in with a lightish weight and he's in form.' Light Years Charm, who jumps from gate seven of eight and will carry 121lb, is one of nine rides for Purton as he looks to build on his 116 winners so far this season. Ping Hai Comet and La Forza are the other last-start winners among the star Australian's book, with La Forza chasing a third victory on the bounce after impressing so far this season. The Jamie Richards-trained three-year-old sticks to the Sha Tin straight for the Class Three On Yam Handicap (1,000m) and will carry 131lb after rising 18 points in the ratings across his past two successes. Barrier nine will help La Forza's cause in his first run since March 30.
South China Morning Post
10-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Light Years Charm a class apart as Zac Purton smashes in another Sha Tin treble
Light Years Charm ran out a very impressive winner of the Class Three Lung Mun Handicap (1,400m) and rounded off another Sha Tin treble for champion jockey Zac Purton on Saturday. It was a second career win for David Eustace's promising galloper, who gave his $1.5 backers some heart-in-mouth moments on the way to an ultimately cosy head success. Purton settled the Rubick gelding in the rear of midfield and as they straightened up off the turn, he was cruising and desperately looking for racing room as the taps were turned on. As is customary, Purton took the daring route up the rails and spied a gap between the weakening Meowth and New Forest, surging to the front in a matter of strides to fend off the fast-finishing Juneau Pride. Check out this ride! 🙌 Timed to perfection, Rubick gelding Light Years Charm scores a sweet win with @zpurton for @EustaceRacing at Sha Tin... #LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 10, 2025 It was a masterful bit of race riding when it mattered, though Purton did admit that luck played a small part in the finish. 'He doesn't make it easy for himself at the start. It didn't help that prior to the start, he was able to pop the gate open and reverse himself back out so he was thinking he was going to do the same thing again,' Purton said. 'So he was right on the back of the gates and flopped out. They didn't go fast which was a concern and I was in a bad spot, so I had no option but to ride for luck – and luckily the runs came. 'He won well and there's more to come because he cooks himself before the start. Next season, hopefully he's better.' Class 3 bound! The rising Flash Current is an impressive winner with champion jockey @zpurton for Jimmy Ting at Sha Tin... ⚡️#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 10, 2025 That might not be it for the lightly raced four-year-old this season, however, with Eustace aiming to get another run in before the campaign is out. 'He misses the start, which doesn't help, but he's got a huge engine and got an absolutely fantastic ride from Zac. It was a 10-out-of-10 effort from him,' said Eustace. 'There's a Class Two in four weeks which fits in very well so we'll go there – that might be his last run of the season but we'll have to see. It's going to be a step up in grade – is he good enough? We'll have to see.' Light Years Charm was the final leg of Purton's treble, with the Australian getting off the mark when Flash Current trotted to victory in the Class Four Tuen Mun Public Riding School Handicap (1,400m). Serious talent! 🤯 All Too Hard youngster Patch Of Stars cruises home for consecutive wins as @zpurton makes it an early double at Sha Tin... ✌️#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) May 10, 2025 After travelling sweetly in midfield, the pair came into the straight tanking and when Purton let his mount down, they surged to the front to beat Riding Together. Easy wins was the theme for Purton's Saturday, with his success on Patch Of Stars in the Class Four Lei Yue Mun Public School Handicap (1,400m) one of his easiest of the entire season. Settled in the box seat behind the leader, Purton switched out at the top of the straight and Patch Of Stars' response was immediate when ridden, flashing clear in a matter of strides in the style of a horse with much more to offer. 'He's only three, still learning and does a little bit wrong,' Purton said. 'He wants to grab the bit and get a bit aggressive in the run and in the straight, he was hanging in quite bad. 'I think there's a little bit more there and next season when he's a bit more mature, he'll start to show his best.'
South China Morning Post
09-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
La Forza dominates a day after dumping rider, while Golden Sixty lands in Japan
Jamie Richards-trained speedster overcomes a trackwork mishap to return to the winners' list in style at Sha Tin on Sunday by Jay RooneySam Agars on Sunday, February 9, 2025 8:21 PM Zac Purton spears La Forza to victory at Sha Tin on Sunday. Photo: Kenneth Chan It wasn't your typical preparation but La Forza showed no ill effects of a little Saturday trackwork mishap when storming back onto the winners' list at Sha Tin on Sunday. After shying at something near the big screen while working on Saturday morning, La Forza dislodged his rider and galloped riderless for two laps of the small all-weather track. 'It was just unfortunate that he shied basically at the TV screen. But he didn't go too fast when he did a little quiet lap without the rider on and thankfully everything's gone nice and smoothly for him today,' said trainer Jamie Richards after La Forza strode to victory in the Class Four TVB Yan Chai Charity Show Handicap (1,000m). Racing for the first time since May last year after suffering from shin soreness following one win from three runs in Griffin company in his debut season, La Forza pinged out of gate seven and was quickly speared over to the outside rail by Zac Purton. After comfortably controlling proceedings from the front, La Forza dashed clear of $2.6 favourite Enjoy Golf inside the final 200m to post a two-and-a-half-length success at $7.35. 'He's a horse who was very immature last season and we backed off him. We thought we had him ready to go earlier in the season and we just had to back off him again because he was just a little bit shin sore,' said Richards. 'He was very weak last season but he's put on a lot of weight and strengthened up. I've got a good team of staff and the Conghua stable must take a bit of credit for this horse because he's spent most of his time up there. 'He's only a three-year-old but I'm hoping that he's got more ratings points in hand.' Race five delivered a far less pleasing outcome for Richards and Purton, with debutant Autumn Vibes rearing as the gates opened before running on strongly from the back of the field to finish third as the $1.9 favourite. Purton did go onto complete a double, saluting aboard Light Years Charm for David Eustace before his afternoon in the saddle ended when he fell from Silvery Breeze for the same trainer two races later. Lyle Hewitson also enjoyed a brace thanks to victories aboard Special Hedge and Gallant Epoch in the opening two races. — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 9, 2025 Sixty's snowy welcome Champion Hong Kong galloper Golden Sixty has finally made it to Japan, with the 10-time Group One winner greeted by snow on his arrival at Northern Horse Park in Hokkaido. Last seen on a racetrack in April last year, Golden Sixty was officially retired in September before having to quarantine in Australia en route to Japan, where owner Stanley Chan Ka-leung, trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai and jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu are planning to visit him regularly. Brightside begins path to HK Mr Brightside started his path towards a likely trip to Hong Kong with a close defeat in Saturday's Group One CF Orr Stakes (1,400m), while there was a successful Hong Kong flavour to one of the support features at the big Caulfield meeting. Trained by David Hayes' sons Ben, Will and JD, Mr Brightside fell narrowly short of a ninth elite-level success when he was chased down late by Another Wil first up. While the Bullbars gelding has often been considered for trips to Hong Kong but never made it to the city, the Hayes boys have indicated the Group One Champions Mile in April is firmly on the radar for their stable star. The training partnership claimed a maiden international Group One success earlier on Saturday when Here To Shock recorded a dominant victory in the BCD Group Sprint (1,400m) in New Zealand. 'Hopefully we can add another one with Brightside in Hong Kong eventually,' JD Hayes told Australia's Channel 7. Angel Capital, raced by Hong Kong-based Upper Bloodstock, shot to favouritism for the Group One Australian Guineas (1,600m) with a first-up win in the Group Two Autumn Stakes (1,400m) at Caulfield. The Harry Angel colt notched his fourth win from seven starts with a powerful return, scoring by a length and a half under jockey Ben Melham. 'He'll go straight to the [Australian] Guineas, I'd say, and then if he ran well there, we'd go to the All-Star Mile,' trainer Clinton McDonald said. 'Then we'd pull up stumps and get him ready for the spring.' Elsewhere, Zac Purton's bid for more Australian Group One glory was scuppered when Isthmus was withdrawn from Saturday's Lightning Stakes (1,000m) at Flemington with a throat issue. The champion Hong Kong jockey was booked for the ride by co-trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman, but Isthmus was found to have an epiglottic entrapment after a Flemington jumpout on Friday.
