3 minute read
Luis Corrales was the star of Sunday’s racing with a sparkling treble to give him some respite over rival Eric Cheung in the jockeys’ premiership race, with now a three-win lead on 31 winners for the season.
Corrales who is aiming for his sixth Macau Jockeys' Title, has been under siege in recent weeks by Cheung who has been steadily closing the gap, and booted home four winners last weekend to get within one win of Corrales.
Luen On Prodigy from the Geoff Allendorf yard was the first of Corrales winners, when he came with a dazzling burst late to claim victory over race favorite Turquoise Square (Roger Yu), in the Class 4 & 5 over 1500 metres (1st Division).
It was win number three in the enclave for Luen On Prodigy, who was a cheap buy for owner Mr. Thomas Lau for just A$35,000, at the 2018 Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO's in Training Sales. After Sunday the four year has returned Mr. Lau over $500,000 HKD for his investment, with plenty more wins to come in the lower bracket races.
The win was also a fitting consolation for Geoff Allendorf after his more fancied runner the second favorite Victory Supreme, lashed out in the gates after being loaded, sustaining some minor lacerations and was withdrawn.
Sheng Li Superstar bounced back to form to win the days feature the Class 1 over 1350 metres (sand), with a brilliant all the way victory under Corrales, to give him win number two for the afternoon.
Once a noted superstar on the sand, Sheng Li Superstar had been winless for almost a year after his form steadily declined. Sunday's victory was his first run in three months, and trainer Stanley Chin deserves plenty of accolades in getting the former top-notch galloper back to his best, and beat a top-class field of 12 runners, that had an accumulated winning prize money of $24 million HKD
Sheng Li Superstar is raced by Mr. Frank Wong and has now won nines races in Macau and placed a further five times from 24 starts, with his prize money now pushing $2.6 million.
Akeli Sword capped off Corrales day when he sprinted away from his rivals in the last of the day, the Class 4 over 1350 metres to give trainer Allen Tam his sole winner for the afternoon.
The son of Dissident (Aus) has won four races and placed on six occasion from his 18 starts and has earned over $650,000 in prize money for his connections.
Peter Leyshan was back in the winner's circle with a well-deserved win going to his Spirit Of Boom (Aus) gelding Éclair Boom, under Japanese rider Masa Tanaka in the Class 4 & 5 (Division 1) over 1500 metres.
The five year has been ultra-consistent with placings in six of his last seven outings, his only unplaced effort was on an unsuitable soft track where he still managed a creditable fourth.
The combination of Rambo Tse and Peter Lao continued on their winning way with the emerging sand star Captain Brentford, making it three wins on the trot on the all-weather in the Class 3 & 4 over 1510 metres.
Captain Brentford is a son of He's Remarkable (NZ) from the Danske mare Heartwell. From only two starts in New Zealand for trainers David and Emma Haworth at Foxton, the gelding ran a creditable second at Otaki in a 1400 metres maiden on a slow track.
The four-year-old since moving to trainer Rambo Tse is proving something special on the all-weather, and simply destroyed his rivals on Sunday for an effortless win.
Rambo Tse has only had a total of 54 runners for the season for 11 winners and 10 placed efforts, giving him the best strike rate of any trainer with a 20% win and a 39% place rate.
Peter Lao is enjoying a nice season and is now on 14 winners.
