Ricky Yiu holds 5-win lead in trainers' battle, Latest Racing News - The New Paper
Racing

Ricky Yiu holds 5-win lead in trainers' battle

Eternal Harvest's victory in the Class 3 Durham Handicap over 1,000m on Wednesday has kept Ricky Yiu ticking along at the top of the trainers' standings.

He maintained his five-win lead over nearest rival, Francis Lui, who was also on the mark.

Like Eternal Harvest, his last-race winner Massive Pocket was also ridden by jockey Vincent Ho.

"I'm still keeping the faith but this win doesn't give me any more confidence," said Yiu. "There are still nine meetings to go, so there's time for someone to catch me - anything can happen."

Yiu has saddled 59 winners this season.

Eternal Harvest's second win at his fifth start came 7½ weeks after his last run.

"Vincent held the horse when the pace was fast in the early part of the race. He led all the way when he won before, but this time, he enjoyed chasing them and he's improved since the last time he ran," said Yiu.

Eternal Harvest's previous success was at Sha Tin over 200m farther, but Ho believes the minimum dash suits the Smart Missile three-year-old.

"It was a pretty good win," said Ho. "His last run was disappointing. He felt weak, but today, he was a totally different horse. I think Ricky freshening him up helped the horse and 1,000 metres suited him.

"He can do it at 1,200 but the 1,000 metres suits him, the pace is on and he's got some early pace." - HKJC

HORSE RACING