Successful Saturday Night at Sha Tin

Karaka Premier Sale graduate Byron (Tale of the Cat x Zorina) took out one of the features on the card at Sha Tin on Saturday night.

In the Class 2 Association of Hong Kong Racing Journalists Challenge Cup (1200m), the gelding was put into a good spot from his wide draw by Douglas Whyte, and marked the leaders in third spot for most of the race before unleashing an impressive turn of foot halfway down the home straight to comfortably pick up the leaders with nothing gaining on him at the line.

This was the gelding's sixth win, and he has shown remarkable consistency, finishing no further back that fourth in his last 11 starts. Showing his liking for the all-weather surface, the six-year-old provided Whyte with his third win on the night.

Byron was purchased by Newlands Thoroughbreds for NZ$130,000 at the 2002 Sale from breeders, Peter and Philip Vela's Pencarrow Stud.

Originally raced under the name Tchaikovsky in Australia, the gelding has now won six races and over HK$3million in prize money. He is trained by Australian expat John Size for owners Lu Tseng Chi & Antonia Hugh.

Other highlights on the night included:

The O'Sullivan trained three-year-old Medic Power (Bertolini x Quintessence) scoring a hatrick in the Japan Racing Assn Trophy (1200m) ahead of High Point (Spectatorial x Fabulous View).

Medic Power was purchased by Lance O'Sullivan for NZ$45,000 from Kirkwall Thoroughbreds at the Karaka Select Sale. High Point was purchased by Kevin Myers for NZ$35,000 from Birchwood Farm at the Karaka Festival Sale in 2005.

O'Sullivan's other winner on the night was courtesy of Ever Bright (Cape Cross x Anna's Choice). O'Sullivan is still lying second on the trainers' premiership only five winners behind Casper Fownes.

Ever Bright was purchased by Ginger Tankard's Waikato Bloodstock for NZ$115,000. That was ahead of Crusader of Gold (Cape Cross x Cladagh), a purchase from Pheonix Park for NZ$180,000. Both four-year-olds were picked out of the 2004 Karaka Premier Sale.

Ever Bright's Hong Kong record now stands at two wins and a second from three starts. His half-brother, by Zabeel, was purchased for NZ$200,000 by Cherry Taylor from Cambridge Stud at the Karaka Premier Sale in January.

In the Class 4 Kowloon Tong Handicap (1200m) Singing Diners (Danasinga x Azabeel) led a kiwi trifecta with Step To Win (Stravinsky x Repetition) second and Fortune Wheel (Elnadim x Ruby Turner) third.

Singing Diners and Step To Win were both purchased at the 2005 Karaka Premier Sale. Singing Diners for NZ$65,000 (by John Foote) from Te Mania Thoroughbreds and Step to Win from Bloomsbury Stud for NZ$160,000.

Lastly in the Class 5 Tseung Kwang Handicap (1600m), Cheerful Happiness (Pins x Stuck Up) got to the line at the head of the field. He was purchased from Delahunty Farm for NZ$50,000 at the 2004 Karaka Select Sale.