Race on for premiership honours
Five-time champion jockey Luis Corrales has made it clear he has his heart set on his sixth jockeys’ title and, after five months of the season, he currently sits at the top of the ladder on 20 wins.
Panamanian-born Corrales picked up his fifth title last season with 57 winners, 17 ahead of Brazilian Fausto Henrique and local rider Roger Yu, who both finished on 40 victories each. However, it’s becoming quite apparent that this season is not going to be like his previous five premierships. In securing those, he won all but one of them by big margins and without any great pressure from his opposition.
Corrales, a former two-time champion apprentice in Macau, won his first senior title in the 2012-13 season in what was his only hard-fought battle, beating Brazilian Fausto Durso with 49 wins to 48 in a battle that went right down to the final day of the season.
The next three seasons saw Corrales in runaway victories, before his winning run was ended by Peter Ho in 2017, with Corrales clearly in second spot. Brazilian Ruan Maia then dominated for two seasons with Corrales again a clear runner-up, before he easily regained his crown last season.
Three jockeys are now emerging as worthy contenders to his throne this season in Eric Cheung, Yu and Masa Tanaka. All three riders picked up doubles on the weekend and have the necessary stable support to wrest the title from Corrales.
Cheung booted home the very bankable sand performer Grexit (All American) from the Sio Cheong yard in Friday night’s Class 2 over 1050 metres. Grexit scored his ninth victory in the enclave, with eight of those on the all-weather surface; add to that 17 placed efforts and there’s no doubt the seven-year-old has been a good buy for owner Chan Yu Fung Bada, having now earned well over HKD$2 million (AUD$333,500) in prize-money.
The very promising Goal Achiever (Star Witness) from the Stanley Chin stable continued his climb in the ratings, when he made it three wins from his last five starts in the Class 4 (Division 1) over 1500 metres (turf) to give Cheung his double for the weekend.
Cheung, a former leading apprentice, is now on 19 winners for the season and was at one time leading the premiership table in the first few months of the season.
Yu scored on the highly promising Smart Arrow (Smart Missile) in Friday night’s Class 3 & 4 over 1350 metres to make it two wins from only three starts for the Tony Fung-trained gelding.
A lovely looking son of Smart Missile (Fastnet Rock) out of Sweet Ransom (Red Ransom), Smart Arrow is an impressive type who won a maiden on debut over the 1350 metres on the sand, before turning in a great effort when second on the turf over 1200 metres, behind For Community (Jimmy Choux) in a slickly-run time.
Electroplate Alloy (Golden Archer), from the Allan Tam yard, gave Yu his double for the weekend when he showed great speed and stamina to lead all the way in the Class 3 over 1200 metres. It was win number five in Macau for the neat-looking five-year-old, who is just as good on both turf or sand.
Yu is now on 18 winners for the season and in third spot on the standings.
Tanaka could be the surprise in the jockeys’ race with his link up this season to leading trainer Chin, as he now shares the bulk of the stable rides with Cheung.
Tanaka picked up his first winner for the weekend with the UK import Amazing Happy (Kyllachy) for Chin, after the grey had to pull out all stops to win the Class 4 & 5 over 1050 metres, scoring by a head from Shooting To Pins (Pins).
It was the gelding’s maiden victory in Macau after winning two races in the UK. While he is no superstar, he will pay his way in the lower grade 1050-metre races on the sand.
Tanaka’s second winner was the very progressive Chin-trained City Gold (Outstrip), who led all of the way to bolt in the Class 3 over 1510 metres.
An Irish import, City Gold has now won four races from his last six runs, taking him from his original rating of 35 to his mark now in the mid-60s.
Both Cheung and Tanaka have a great advantage being linked to Chin’s strong stable. Cheung as well has had a lot of success with the Sio Cheong yard.
Yu’s mainstay is both the Tam yard and the Fung stable, so he will have plenty of top rides coming his way.
Corrales’ sole winner over the weekend was the Danny Wong-trained Special Charger (Helmet); but as always, he remains one of the most popular jockeys’ in the enclave, and has the backing of a wide range of trainers. However, nowadays he is not able to ride as light as Cheung (116 pounds), and Tanaka and Yu who go to scale at 118 pounds.
With three winners over the weekend, Chin has surged ahead in the trainers’ standings with 22 victories in total. He leads Cheong who is on 16, with last year’s champion trainer Fung on 13 winners.
Hardworking Filipino rider Breinell Yamzon rode a perfect race on the Ricky Choi-prepared Association Eight (Charm Spirit) to take out the Class 4 over (Division 2) over 1500 metres on the turf on Saturday.
Yamzon wisely sat on the back of the free rolling leader Georgian Ease (Super Easy) and never allowed him to set up too wide a margin, even pressuring him before the home corner. The move paid off as Association Eight was able to overhaul Georgian Ease in the shadows of the post, with the fast-finishing Ready Fire (Sepoy) running on for third.
From the O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Mirandola, Association Eight has been a model of consistency. From 15 runs to date the four-year-old has been in the money on 12 occasions with three wins and nine placed efforts.
Yamzon does not get a lot of top-class rides and is not a lightweight rider, however he does make the most of every opportunity, evidenced by his display on Saturday.