Mighty Giant eye big
December's Group 1 Hong Kong Mile on the cards for Ricky Yiu's Class 2 winner
Mighty Giant is now eyeing a Group 1 target at the Hong Kong International Races in December, after sealing a fifth consecutive win with an impressive performance in the Class 2 Argyle Handicap over 1,400m at Sha Tin on Saturday.
"There's every possible chance he'll run on International Day, because there could be no overseas runners," said reigning champion trainer Ricky Yiu.
The Power gelding takes his record to six wins from nine starts. Yiu is eyeing a pair of Class 1 contests as the chestnut's next start, before a potential tilt in the HK$25 million (S$4.4 million) Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile.
The smart five-year-old chestnut broke evenly from Gate 10 under reigning champion jockey Zac Purton, who mustered his mount forward to settle close to the speed.
He hit the front at the 200m mark and held on for a neck win.
"He's an honest horse. He gets up there, makes his own luck and he's a fighter - he's a winner," said Purton.
The win sealed a treble for Purton, who earlier in the afternoon had ended a 33-ride winless streak stretching back to Oct 11.
Saturday's win was Mighty Giant's classiest, as he defeated a field featuring leading Four-Year-Old Classic Series prospects, Sky Field and Lucky Express. The duo ran with credit to finish third and fourth respectively.
"The pace early on absolutely suited my horse according to Zac, and he travelled as a lovely horse," said Yiu.
"He was so relaxed and he was always waiting for the signal. Once he asked him to kick, he really accelerated. A lovely horse.
"I spoke to Zac right after the race, there's a few feature races we have to think about. But I'm not sure which one we'll go for.
"There's the Panasonic Cup over 1,400m and the Chevalier Cup over the mile next month. There's a lot of time to make a decision."
Purton's other victories came from Beauty Angel in the Class 4 Waterloo Handicap over 1,800m and Lockheed in the Class 3 Dundas Handicap over 1,200m. - HKJC
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