Double ends Lor’s wait for winners
HONG KONG - Winless after eight meetings, Frankie Lor’s stable cranked into top gear at Sha Tin on Oct 6 with a double crowned by Sword Point’s brilliant win in the Class 2 Nam Long Shan Handicap over 1,650m on dirt.
Champion trainer in 2021-2022, Lor slotted his first winner of the season when unraced four-year-old Mendelssohn gelding Master Trillion proved too slick in Race 4, the Class 4 Middle Bay Handicap (1,000m), under Derek Leung before the pair combined with Sword Point, who blazed to a 3 3/4-length win while making his dirt track debut in the afternoon’s feature slated as the final event in the 10-race programme.
“It took a long time to get a winner, but sometimes you just have to concentrate on your horses and get them in good form for the races and not worry about the days that you will win – sometimes you just don’t know when you will win,” Lor said.
Master Trillion ended Lor’s frustrating run of outs, capped by a string of minor placings – six seconds and three thirds from 45 runners – with an impressive triumph.
“I’ve had six seconds – some just beaten by a head, some just beaten by a neck, some had no luck. I haven’t been that lucky. Anyway, I need to do my best to win for my owners,” Lor said.
He indicated Sword Point, a dual winner on turf and Group 2-placed in Hong Kong, will be prepared for the Group 3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse Handicap (1,800m) on Nov 3 after the six-year-old was given a perfect ride by Leung to take his earnings beyond HK$13 million.
“I don’t think there will be another dirt race for him for a while. His sire is American Pharoah and I just trialled him on the dirt to see if he could show me if he liked it,” Lor said, adding he was pleased with Master Trillion’s debut.
Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Oct 9. HKJC
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now