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Stanley Chin has confirmed a Macau Guineas (Gr 1) start for his exciting sand galloper City Gold, after another dominant win in Friday night’s Class 2 over 1510 metres on the all-weather surface.
Ridden by regular jockey Masa Tanaka, City Gold again led throughout for an easy win over Tremendous wins (J B Hamel), with Captain Brentford (Peter Lao) in third.
City Gold has now won five races from his last six runs on the sand, and has been very dominant in his last four victories. The four-year-olds record now reads 12 starts for six wins, two seconds and one third; with all his victories restricted to the all-weather surface.
That however, is not stopping Chin from having a tilt at the Guineas, with the 1800 metres of the Derby in mind.
"Yes, he will run in the Guineas if all is well with him. He deserves his chance, and after this win he is now the second highest rated four-year-old here." Chin said.
City Gold's only run on the turf was at his second start in July last season when he finished sixth, beaten ten lengths behind his stablemate Cherry Road. He was still very immature at the time, and after two more runs Chin gave the gelding a rest, before he started his winning run on the first day of the new season at the end of September.
On breeding one would think that the turf should not be a problem for City Gold. He is by Outstrip (GB), who was a winner of the 2013 Champagne Stakes (Gr 2) over seven furlongs and six yards at Doncaster, and the 2013 Breeders Cup (turf) over one mile at Santa Anita Park.
His dam Mudammera was a non-winner in her four starts, but is by Dubawi (Ire) who was a winner of the Group 1 National Stakes over seven furlongs, as well as the Irish 2000 Guineas (Gr 1), over one mile at the Curragh.
Chin purchased City Gold purely by chance, when he was at the yard of Newmarket trainer Stuart Williams.
"I had bought The Whirlwind (Ex Global Explorer) off Stuart; he was a very good class 1 horse for me in here Macau. I was at his yard one day looking at horses and he suggested I take a look at City Gold who was unraced, but he said that he had worked well alongside a couple of his nice horses."
"I liked what I saw, and he was fairly priced, so I decided to take a chance on him." Chin added.
It was a wise decision by Chin, with City Gold's six wins reaping over $1million HKD for owners Chang Kwok Yin & Kwan Yiu Pang so far, with plenty still ahead of the him.
As it stands Chin's main Derby hope is Beauty Bolt who performed well at group level in Australia, including a fourth place in the VRC Oaks at Flemington. That said, City Gold can do no more than he has too date, and the 1800 metres of the SJM Derby does look tailor made for him, should he prove adaptable to the turf.
