New Zealand Horses Continue Winning Ways in Hong Kong & Singapore
24 April 2006
Once again, New Zealand claimed a string of winners from the racecards at Sha Tin and Kranji over the weekend.
While all eyes were on South African raider, Irridescence, following victory in the feature event at Sha Tin - the Group 1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup - there was a strong supporting cast of winners from NZ on the day with two quinellas amongst the five races won on the ten-race card:
Race 3: In the Class 3 event over 1800m, John Size earned his win of the night with New Zealand-bred, All Chances (Pins x Gaysutina) heading a New Zealand quinella over Noble Heart (Deputy Governor x Domino) in second. The favourite, All Chances, had the dream trip and held on in a photo finish from Noble Heart, trained by Francis Lui. All Chances, winner of four from his last five starts, was bought from Karaka in 2003 for NZ$80,000 as a yearling by Gary Hennessey. Noble Heart was bought from the 2002 Karaka Sale by owners, Poon Wah & Tommy Poon, for NZ$200,000.
Race 4: In the Class 4 over 1400m, Caspar Fownes had success with a win by Whiplash (O'Reilly x Soleil Vite). This was the second win in a row for the three-year-old, purchased from the Karaka Select Sale for NZ$20,000 by Michael Stedman Bloodstock.
Race 5: In a close finish in the Class 4 1200m event, trainer Danny Shum and Kiwi jockey, Shane Dye, teamed up to secure the second win of the day for New Zealand sire, O'Reilly, by Circular Machine (O'Reilly x Vital).
Race 9: The second quinella of the day for New Zealand came in the Class 2 Audemars Piguet Deva Handicap over 2000m, with Electronics Spur (Flying Spur x Hasty Bird) in first and Time Supreme (O'Reilly x Brilliant Victory) in second. Felix Coetzee took an early lead on Electronics Spur, trained by Tony Cruz, and held on by a whisker on the line from a strong finish by Time Supreme, trained by Dennis Yip.
Race 10: The third winner of the day for Tony Cruz was by six-year -old, Super Combed (Faltaat x Flick Alight), in the Class 1 Audemars Piguet Dream Handicap (1800m). Sold at the 2001 Karaka Festival Sale for NZ$20,000, and then passed at the NZB Ready to Run Sale, Super Combed powered home impressively from last to first to win by a neck.
In Singapore, New Zealand Bloodstock Select Sale graduate Why Be (Success Express x Charybdis) secured his seventh win in a row for trainer, Laurie Laxon, in the feature Group 3 Fischer Stakes (1200m). The victory meant Why Be has now won both the first and second legs of the 2006 Singapore Sprint Series with the third leg of the Series set to be contested on 13 May.
In second and third position were New Zealand breds, Connery (Al Akbar x Truly Lucky) and Tom Higgs (Al Akbar x Moon Voy).
New Zealand laid claim to four other winners of the meeting, with victories by Prosperity Cat (NZ) (Felix the Cat x Crested Wave), Wind Chaser (NZ) (Istidaad x Forget Me Knot), Royal Admiral (NZ) (Starjo x Kilmaghenny) and Lucky Strong (NZ) (Magic of Sydney x Kimberley), plus New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale graduate King's Strike (AUS) (Desert King x Sizzles).