Reigning South African champion jockey Lyle Hewitson celebrates his 22nd birthday today with three rides at the Happy Valley track in Hong Kong.
We wish him a happy birthday and what a moment it would be were he to break the ice today – on Happy Wednesday!
Happy Hewitson? Let’s hope it’s today!
The dual national champion has found the tough streets of Hong Kong racing an acid character test and goes into today’s meeting with just 7 places from his 61 rides.
The word is that the prodigious talent is maintaining a positive approach and working as hard as he would have if he were on top of the table.
His three rides are Sky Gem (first race), Electric Lightning (fourth) and Circuit Hassler (seventh).
Another man on a frustrating run is seven-time champion trainer John Moore who heads into today’s eight-race card with four chances as he aims to snap a frustrating run of six minor placings from his last seven starters, including three runner-up efforts at last week’s midweek fixture.
The seven-time champion trainer is hopeful that the Class-dropping Hello Beauty (133lb) should cope with the city track’s tight-turning corners, as the Sepoy gelding steps out at the venue for the first time in the Class 3 Hebe Hill Handicap (1200m).
“We’re gambling a little bit in respect to whether he will handle Happy Valley as it is his first time there, so there’s a bit of a question mark around that and he’s drawn quite wide in gate 11,” Moore said.
Hello Beauty raced in Australia pre-import as Fullazaboot and was trained in Queensland, by Stuart Kendrick. His exploits Down Under earnt him HK$2,457,680 across three starts, thanks largely to his runner-up effort behind subsequent three-time G1 winner Sunlight, in the lucrative Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
John Moore – has his own frustrations (Pic – HKJC)
“He’s definitely a horse that’s going to win in Class 3 but first time at the city circuit and an awkward gate is tricky. But he gets the services of one of the best in Joao Moreira, so from that point of view he’s going to be competitive,” Moore said.
Chefano (130lb), who raced here in South Africa as Vacquero, will also fly the flag for Moore in the Class 3 Shek Uk Shan Handicap (1800m). The gelding joined the stable at the tail-end of last season from Tony Millard.
“He was a nice acquisition to the stable, I haven’t trained a South African horse before and he’s done everything right,” the handler said.
Chefano has raced twice since being gelded in the offseason, including an unlucky fourth last start when he found traffic at key moments in the straight.
“He was gelded at the back end of last season after that one run, he’s come on really well and he’s worked strongly coming into this race with that last run under his belt, which was very positive,” Moore said.
Formerly in the care of Robbie Sage, the Silvano son Chefano won or placed in four of his local starts with his most notable effort coming when third to Monks Hood and Seerite in the Gr2 Dingaans – he raced as Vacquero.
“He just took a little time as an entire, no doubt it took time for him to acclimatise, but he’s doing everything right, so he should be the one to beat,” Moore said.
