3 minute read
A winning double for Roger Yu on Saturday’s end of the year raceday has seen him stretch his lead in the Jockeys’ Premiership to a four win margin with now 18 wins for the new season.
Yu has been on a real roll since October 4 when he picked up his first win back after 10 months on the sidelines after fracturing a vertebrae in a race fall off Duke De Vega in November last year.
Lover Paradise from the Tony Fung yard was the first of Roger Yu's winners on Saturday when he took the Class 1 & 2 Handicap over 1500 metres with an easy two lengths win.
In what proved to be a drama charged race, Yu fired Lover Paradise out of gate 10 to cross and lead easily at the first corner. From there on the race turned into a roughhouse affair when Yu slammed the brakes on causing a dramatic chain reaction back through the field, with a number of horses being inconvenienced.
Whilst the move ensured Yu and Lover Paradise ended up with a perfect run in the race off the leaders backs; it also put paid to the chances of number of other runners in particular the well fancied Luen On Dance Kid.
In the aftermath Yu pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under MJC Rule 132 (i) in that," for some distance after leaving the 1200 metres, after obtaining the lead, he excessively slowed the pace of the race resulting in Luen On Dance Kid having to be severely checked to avoid the heels of Lover Paradise and shifted out hampering Red Phoenix. Bring Me Speed and Oriental Profit both had to be checked in consequence. Yu was suspended for two race days after his guilty plea.
The drama of the race didn't end there with Frankie Choi who rode Éclair Sunshine being suspended for three race days for shifting out over the last 50 metres causing interference to Krystrump (Fausto Henrique).
As well South African rider Tshwaro Appie was also suspended for two race days for causing interference to race favorite Pearl Green, Red Phoenix and Lover Paradise, when he made a quick move around the field at the 1000 metres point when the speed of the race slowed dramatically, and he shifted in when not clear of Pearl Green. Both Choi and Appie entered guilty pleas.
Things went a lot smoother for Roger Yu in the next event the Class 2 & 3 over 1800 metres when he scored a surprise win on the rank outsider Still So Cute at odds of $715.00 for the win.
Prepared by Alan Tam, Still So Cute was attempting the 1800 metres for the first time and given his sprinting form was considered by many as suspect at the trip. No one told the gelding that, with the four year old son of Thewayyouare (USA) flying out of his extreme outside gate (12) to lead them by the judge the first time. Once in the back Yu surrendered the lead to The Macallan (Charlie Chan) until the home straight where he issued his challenge. In a hard fought tussle the length of the straight Still So Cute prevailed by a neck from The Macallan, with Fortune Generation (Shogo Nakano) in third.
Roger Yu (18) is now four wins clear of two times Macau Champion Ruan Maia (14) who is set to start plying his trade in Singapore in January. That leaves another Brazilian rider in Fausto Henrique next best on 13 wins with four times Macau Champ Luis Corrales next on 11.
With the exit of Ruan Maia to Singapore the Jockeys' Championship is shaping to be an open race. Yu a former Hong Kong apprentice has a great opportunity to win his first ever Championship; provided he can stay clear of careless riding suspensions.
Peter Leyshan's Georgian Ease produced one of the afternoons best wins of the day off a lovely ride by Luis Corrales in the last of the day the Class 4 over 1500 metres.
A son of the former Singapore great Super Easy (NZ) who at one time won 11 straight races in the Lion City, Georgian Ease made it win number three in Macau with Saturdays win.
A known leader in his races Corrales on Saturday had no hesitation in handing up the lead to the sprinter Chapman Way. Corrales lay in wait third the fence until heads were turned for home before darting through on the inside for a runaway win.
The gelding had been very much out of form since his last win back in July and Peter Leyshan attributed that the a number of factors.
"He is a very strong going horse and even in a canter on slow days he wants to pull and overwork. He was getting himself a bit flat by doing that so I've kept him away from the main track with the exception of an odd gallop. Also he is useless on anything other than a firm track.
"The other big factor that has been a huge turnaround for the stable is the new facilities we have moved into this season. The renovated stabling complexes are terrific. They have really opened them up with big windows for the horses to see what's going on outside and they are designed to get a lot of natural light and breeze through."
"I've got my own grass patch outside for the horses to have a pick and look around in the afternoons and the horsed are very happy and content and it's starting to show raceday."
Georgian Ease will continue to pay his way in races from 1500 to 1800 metres for his connections the Yanese Limited Group with his three wins so far pulling in over half a million HKD in prize money.
