Caspar Fownes reclaimed the lead in the trainers’ championship with a double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, while Zac Purton was made to wait at least another four days to secure his 2,000th Hong Kong win after moving to within one of the milestone.
Fownes drew level with Shum on 56 wins after Audacious Pursuit and Elegant Life’s victories, but he jumped back to the top of the table by virtue of more seconds than Shum.
With just 13 meetings left this season, Mark Newnham is close behind Fownes and Shum on 53 wins while Francis Lui Kin-wai (50) and David Hayes (49) are also in contention.
“We’re trying our best, that’s for sure,” Fownes said.
Joao Moreira had the biggest haul of his late-season stint since a Valley four-timer last month, guiding Fownes’ pair to victory before sealing a treble on Cody Mo Wai-kit’s Lucky McQueen in the first section of the Class Four Ciron Handicap (1,200m).
Fownes heaped praise on the Brazilian star for his masterful ride on Audacious Pursuit, who capitalised on a dream run in the box seat to get up on the inside of leader Withallmyfaith in the final 100m to beat that galloper by a neck in the Class Four Rhine Handicap (1,650m).
“It was perfection by Joao to get him on the rail and save the ground. When you just win by a small margin, that’s everything really, it’s what you need,” Fownes said.
“You need good rides, good draws and the rest takes care of itself. It’s why I said Hong Kong racing is so exciting.”
Fownes revealed Audacious Pursuit had a minor mishap on the morning of his Valley debut.
“The amazing part is this morning, this horse spread his shoe and was quite sore, so we had to get the top farrier Luke Thompson and my team, plus my farriers, to get the shoe back on and make him comfortable. We’ve got to go work hard behind the scenes and no one knows these things,” Fownes said.
“We all work hard to get him there and when we get that winning result, we can really enjoy the special moment.”
Elegant Life secured the crucial double for Fownes in the second section of the Ciron Handicap, producing an impressive turn of foot to win his second race of the season.
Parked in midfield by Moreira, he began to stoke his mount up as the field turned out of the back straight and that proved to be a race-winning move, as the pair saved all the ground and emerged with clear running in the straight.
Elegant Life powered clear of Dan Attack in the closing stages for a two-and-a-half-length success, suggesting there could be plenty more to come.
“It’s a good feeling. I got on some nice horses today. I believed it was meant to be because they got good gates,” Moreira said.
“I’m so happy to be getting opportunities and to be getting them up.”
Purton inched towards his 2,000th Hong Kong win in the middle of the card when Armor Golden Eagle soared to success in the Class Three Sauternes’s Cup (1,650m), but was not able to double up to reach the accolade.
It was a facile success to bring up Armor Golden Eagle’s third win from his last four starts, travelling kindly behind the leading pair throughout before unleashing a smart burst in the middle of the track to win going away by a length and a quarter.
“He was in the ideal spot. It was a carbon copy of last start, really, just in the right spot – they put them away well. He’s a good improving horse,” Newnham said.
Meanwhile, apprentice Britney Wong Po-ni notched her first win at Happy Valley when Son Pak Fu swooped to win the Class Three Seine Handicap (1,200m), giving trainer Tony Cruz a double in the process.
Sat towards the back of the pack on the rails throughout, Wong never left the rail aboard the Fighting Sun galloper and it proved to be a winning decision, with the inside opening up like the Red Sea in the straight.
Wong did have to be brave when the gap began to close near the 100m pole, but Son Pak Fu had all the momentum and picked Gummy Gummy’s pocket close home by a short head.
It was the second leg of a double for Cruz, with Superb Capitalist winning the Class Three Garonne Handicap (1,000m) under Angus Chung Yik-lai.
