3 minute read
It’s been a quite couple of weeks for Eric Cheung, however the young rider has bounced back in fine style, with a treble on Sundays mixed turf and sand race card.
Cheung, who had not ridden a winner for the past three racedays, hit the ground running on Sunday with a win on the Joe Lau prepared Snow Storm , in the first of the day the Class 4 & 5 Handicap over 1200 metres.
Snow Storm unleashed a brilliant turn of foot over the final two hundred to grab the tearaway leader Amazing Happy (Breinell Yamzon), in the shadows of the post to win by a half a length, with Heat of the Battle (Shogo Nakano) running home for third.
A four-year-old son of Mossman (Aus), Snow Storm has now won back-to-back races, and is a horse going places evidenced by Sunday's victory. Both his wins have been over the 1200 metre course, but there is no doubt the gelding will relish the step up to 1500 metres, judging by the manner he has hit the line in both his wins.
Roaring Fans was the next of Cheung's winners, when he burst away from his rivals over the last two hundred to easily win the Class 3 & 4 over 1200 metres for trainer Stanley Chin.
Cheung wisely opted to let the speed go on Roaring Fans who is a noted leader, and took the sit behind Lucky Gold and Golden Key who set a keen tempo up front. Momentarily held up at the top of the straight, the five-year-old burst through on the inside of Lucky Gold half way down the running, to power away and beat the former Hong Kong galloper Marqula (Tshwaro Appie), to give Stanley Chin the quinella, with Casino Mok (Luis Corrales) in third.
The Tony Fung trained Hostwin Aurora rounded out Cheung's day with runaway win in the Class 2 over 1350 metres, to make it win number three in the enclave for the son of Red Element (Aus).
Hostwin Aurora came to Macau with very average form from Australia with his three runs there on the turf all unplaced; however, the four-year-old has really found his niche in Macau on the all-weather, with three wins and two seconds from his seven runs on the surface, and over $600,000 HKD in prize money.
Cheung has done a fine job in his first season as a fully-fledged rider, and at the moment sits in second spot on 34 winners, four in arrears of Championship leader Luis Corrales (38), with Masa Tanaka in third spot on 26 wins.
Pursuing Eagle from the Wayne Smith yard was another very impressive winner on the day, when he led throughout under Shogo Nakano to win the Class 3 over 1500 metres on the turf.
Nakano was having his first day back riding since taking a nasty tumble off Dare To Be, on the all-weather track back on February 16. The Japanese rider rated the three-year-old to perfection in front, and did not get serious until the two hundred, where he dashed way and put three lengths on his rivals. Captain Brentford (Peter Lao), ran on well for second with Winnie Star (Luis Corrales) running home well for third.
Pursuing Eagle had previously won twice over 1050 metres on the sand and twice at 1200 metres (turf), however Smith who rides the bulk of his own trackwork, had no hesitation in stepping him up in trip.
"That was a nice win; Shogo (Nakano) gave him a nice ride. I had no doubts about him getting the trip. I always put my horses through a staying gallop to see how they fare."
"He is a lovely three-year-old who has adapted to Macau racing really well. He is really straight forward to train and goes well on both surfaces. I think he will be a better four-year-old, so there might be a nice race in him next season."
By Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) from the St. Covet mare Kiss and Covert, Pursuing Eagle has now won five races in the enclave from his 16 starts, and over $800,000 HKD in prize money. The brown gelding was a A$60,000 purchase at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast 2Y0's in Training Sales. On breeding and the manner of his win on Sunday, Pursuing Eagle should be capable of getting a strong 1800 metres as a four-year-old.
Ex-Godolphin galloper Thar added another win to his resume off a perfect ride by Fausto Henrique in the Class 3 & 4 over 1200 metres.
Prepared by Danny Wong, the seven-year-old son of Exceed and Excel (Aus), once again showed his liking for the 1200 metre turf trip, with all his six wins in Macau coming at distance.
Given a perfect box seat ride by Henrique, Thar found the line strongly to beat Premier Choice (Luis Corrales), with Collateral Mission (Dayversom Barros in third.
Thar won two races in Australia from only five runs there, a Goulburn 2YO Maiden over 1000 metres and a Class 2 at Wyong over 1200 metres when trained by John O'Shea.
The bay gelding has been a great money-spinner for his Macau owner Mr. Yuen Siu Yuen; as well as his six wins, he has made the quinella spot on 12 occasion, and has 5 third placings. After Sunday's win he has now earned close to $2.2 million HKD in prize money.
