Sunlight Power stuns, Purton bags quartet
HONG KONG - Trainer Ricky Yiu believes emerging talent Sunlight Power can continue a sharp rise and eventually join the city’s elite after the gelding’s stunning win at Sha Tin on Sept 15, as champion jockey Zac Purton dominated the 10-race meeting with a quartet.
Ridden by Jerry Chau, Sunlight Power travelled three-wide before surging clear of his rivals to win by two lengths and easing down before the line to notch his fourth win from 15 starts. The authority of the performance fuelled the wily Yiu’s hopes that he has another quality galloper on his hands.
Clocking 1min 21.17sec to land the Class 3 Yiu Tung Handicap (1,400m), the 74-point rater will be next aimed at Class 2 contests before Yiu considers even loftier targets for the five-year-old son of Capitalist after the Australian-bred gelding shouldered 129lb (58.5kg) with ease on Sept 15.
“I wish I could tell you how good he can be, but I’m aiming high. I think he can get to over 100 (in the ratings),” Yiu said.
Notching his second four-timer from only three meetings so far this season, Purton scored aboard the Chris So-trained duo Devas Twelve and Super Win Dragon, Mark Newnham’s Super Infinity and David Hall’s Charmander.
With nine wins from 24 rides, Purton boosted his Hong Kong career haul to 1,749, leaving the Australian only 64 victories shy of 13-time champion Douglas Whyte’s record of 1,813.
Purton, 41, figured in two running doubles – the first atop Super Infinity in the Class 4 Kwong Fuk Handicap (1,200m) and Charmander in the first section of the Class 5 Wah Fu Handicap (1,400m).
Newnham was delighted with the performance of Super Infinity, a son of Star Witness.
“He’s still not a finished product, but good enough to win today,” Newnham said. “At the moment, I’ll just hold him back to 1,200 (metres). He’s not doing enough right yet, I think, to step up.”
With four wins across three meetings, Newnham has laid the foundations for another strong campaign.
Purton provided Hall with the first leg of a stable double atop Charmander before Harry Bentley drove home Mr Energia in the Class 4 Hing Wah Handicap (1,200m on dirt).
“He’s (Mr Energia) always shown ability but he hadn’t shown that ability in races, but the blinkers have transformed him,” Hall said of the Swiss Ace gelding, who finished fifth in a Sha Tin 1,050m trial on Sept 3.
Purton linked up with So in consecutive races, scoring in the Class 4 Tung Wah Group Of Hospitals Challenge Cup Handicap (1,400m) on Devas Twelve before Super Win Dragon posted his fifth course-and-distance win in the Class 3 Oi Tung Handicap (1,200m on dirt).
Magic Control became the first horse this season to claim a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million (S$250,000) when the former Australian sprinter dominated from the front to land the Class 3 Lok Wah Handicap (1,000m) under Matthew Chadwick for Cody Mo.
Clocking 55.74sec over the straight course, the Sioux Nation gelding lived up to the reputation he created in Australia, where he was a three-time winner for Matt Laurie when known as Archo Nacho. The gelding’s best Australian victory came in the Group 3 Red Anchor Stakes (1,200m) at Moonee Valley in October 2023.
Family Jewel provided Caspar Fownes with his first win of the campaign with victory in the Class 4 Hong Tung Handicap (1,600m) under Hugh Bowman, with the Time Test gelding setting a class record of 1:33.70.
Pierre Ng, runner-up in last season’s trainers’ championship, matched So and Hall’s feat in slotting doubles.
Ng notched his first victory of the term with Gale Saga, who gave Matthew Poon his fourth win of the season in the second section of the Class 5 Wah Fu Handicap (1,400m), and then struck again with 40-1 outsider Team Happy in the second section of the Class 4 Mei Tung Handicap (1,400m) under Angus Chung.
Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Sept 18. HKJC
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