The Chris So-trained Perfectday pounced late to snare the Class 4 Kwong Tin Handicap at Sha Tin on Sunday to give Keagan De Melo a winner, after the SA Jockey Academy graduate broke a long losing streak last Wednesday.
De Melo made perfect use of barrier one to sit third behind Wonderstar and Lunar Dash before striking on the post for a short-head win.
Keagan De Melo now has 11 wins for the season (Pic – HKJC)
But the day belonged to David Eustace who added further lustre to a burgeoning Hong Kong debut season when emerging talent Light Years Charm swept to victory in the HK$2.84 million Class 2 Lee On Handicap, presenting the young trainer with his 30th winner of the campaign.
By Rubick, Light Years Charm (121lb) gave Eustace his first Class 2 triumph and collected a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million – plus prizemoney of HK$1.59 million – after Zac Purton patiently piloted the four-year-old to his third win from eight starts.
Light Years Charm wins under Zac Purton (Pic – HKJC)
Sold in Australia at the 2022 HTBA May Yearling Sale for A$3,750 (approx. HK$19,106), Light Years Charm took his Hong Kong earnings to HK$7.6 million after transferring from Brett Dodson’s stables as the winner of a maiden over 1410m in June, 2024 at Lismore, New South Wales.
Slowly away, Light Years Charm was allowed to settle and build momentum at the tail of the field before Purton angled the gelding to the outside of the eight-horse field, clocking 44.58s for the final 800m and 22.37s for the last 400m.
“It was a perfect ride. The horse actually did jump better than he normally does but he got squeezed at the start. Zac took his time and assessed the pace up front and the horse lengthened really well,” Eustace said.
“He’ll definitely appreciate a break and I hope he’ll get better next season. He’s doing nothing wrong at the moment. He’s obviously going to have to continue to improve, but hopefully he can.
“It’s hard to know what the ceiling is. He’s only four and he’s a big, raw horse. It would be wrong for me to put targets on his back. We’ll see how far he gets.”
With 30 wins from 303 starters, Eustace has impacted strongly in his first season.
“Happy with how it’s gone so far. They’ve raced well and consistently and the team at home are doing a great job. We’ll try and round the season out well,” he said.
Purton stretched his lead in the jockeys’ championship to 52 with a double with 118 wins for the term, well clear of Hugh Bowman (66), and praised Light Years Charm.
“It was a really good effort. He actually didn’t begin that bad but the runner on the inside and the runner on the outside both shifted ground so that put him on the back foot, but I just left him alone,” Purton said.
John Size edged closer to a record-extending 13th trainers’ championship with a double, stretching his lead over David Hayes to eight with 62 wins to 54 with 10 meetings left in the season.
Size’s Ping Hai Comet surged away with the Class 4 Lam Tin Handicap (1600m) under Purton before Brenton Avdulla scored on Majestic Express in the Class 3 On Yam Handicap (1000m), earning a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million.
Antoine Hamelin notched his eighth winner of the season, striking on Caspar Fownes-trained Sky Prophet in the Class 5 Chung On Handicap (1400m).
“It’s nice to get a winner today – it’s hot, but it’s less hot when you win,” the Frenchman smiled. “I think the horse was in good form and didn’t to deserve to so be so long (18/1) on the odds. I believed in him, I thought he was a chance, the only concern was the draw (barrier 13). But he had a good start, he led, he controlled the race and he held that to the line.”
Cheval Valiant wins under Britney Wong (Pic – HKJC)
Britney Wong’s reunion with Cheval Valiant led to victory in the Class 4 Lai On Handicap (1000m) for Douglas Whyte and gave the 10lb-claiming apprentice a double.
“He was my first win (in Hong Kong on 22 September, 2024) and I know him very well. Thank you to Mr Whyte for putting me back on because I have to chase this ride, actually, and I’m happy that everything has gone well today and I have had another win,” Wong said. “I’m very happy.”
Ruby Sailing landed the Class 5 Chak On Handicap (1200m) under Wong to give Manfred Man a winner across each of the past seven meetings. Wong, 26, has ridden nine of her 18 winners this season for Man.
Star Satyr profited from an economical run from barrier two for Angus Chung in winning the Class 4 Mei Tin Handicap (1400m) for Tony Cruz before Francis Lui’s Superb Kid swept to victory under Luke Ferraris in the Class 3 Ping Tin Handicap (1400m).
Benno Yung’s Aeris Nova posted a tough win in the Class 3 Tin Wan Handicap (1200m) under Derek Leung, claiming his second Hong Kong victory despite sitting wide. By Justify, the colt won two races in Australia as Scentify when trained by Ciaron Maher.
Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday 11 June.
