Southern Legend enhances fine record with Group 3 Premier Plate triumph
Southern Legend’s (Not A Single Doubt) legacy as one of Hong Kong’s most dependable performers in recent times was enhanced yesterday at Sha Tin with victory in the Premier Plate Handicap (Gr 3, 1800m) for jockey Zac Purton and trainer Caspar Fownes.
After shedding his maiden tag over five years ago in Australia, the gelding’s storied career has encompassed two successful Singapore raids, a sixth-place finish to Almond Eye (Lord Kanaloa) in the 2019 Dubai Turf (Gr 1, 1800m) as well as his head-bobbing triumph over Beauty Generation (Road To Rock) in last year’s Champions Mile (Gr 1, 1600m).
And, having pushed Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro) to within a head in January’s Stewards’ Cup (Gr 1, 1600m), the evergreen eight-year-old – who has placed four times at the top-level this season – got his reward for consistency with a half-length triumph in today’s HK$3.5 million contest over Reliable Team (Reliable Man) and Fast Most Furious (Lope De Vega), respectively.
“You’d like a few more like him in your stable – he’s just a brute, he’s got so much heart and he deserved that victory. He’s been so consistent all his career and then in the last ten runs he’s been in the money each time, so he deserved that win,” Fownes said.
On a day when his trainer flourished with a clean-sweep of both Group 3s and five wins in all thanks to Joy Master (Rogano), Lucky Quality (Medaglia D’Oro), Sky Field (Deep Field) and Killer Bee (Savabeel), Southern Legend defied a hefty impost and a rising age to give Fownes his third consecutive Premier Plate win and fourth overall after Thumbs Up (Shinko King) (2012), Rise High (Myboycharlie) (2019) and Dances With Dragon (Savabeel) (2020).
This afternoon’s triumph was Purton’s third aboard the gelding, having guided him to consecutive Kranji Mile (Listed, 1600m) triumphs (2018 and 2019) in Singapore.
“I actually felt comfortable all the way, more so at the 600 metres – he was just giving me the feel that he was in the right frame of mind today and he actually got there pretty comfortably – the last 200 metres, he just coasted to the line,” Purton said.
Today’s win enhanced the gelding’s Hong Kong earnings past a whopping HK$59 million after making his debut in the city at the end of May, 2017.
“It’s tremendous, he just keeps on getting better with age. He’s had a fair few plane trips around the world, too, and he just seems to have come back better from every trip – he’s been a good warrior,” Purton said.
Although a soon-to-be nine-year-old, Fownes laid out future plans for his charge, who is in perhaps career-best form with placings in this season’s Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m), Stewards’ Cup, Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (Gr 1, 1400m) and FWD Champions Mile.
“I’m very happy for Bon – he puts so much into the game of racing that he deserves these types of horses and he deserves the best,” Fownes said of Boniface Ho, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent owners.
“Bon’s left it to me, I’ll make that decision when I feel he’s had enough. You can see he’s still got his passion to race and he knuckled down giving those young horses a lot of weight and he attacked the line like a bloody tiger, which is what you want to see these old horses do.
“Obviously he’s going to be nine in about six weeks and we’ll give him a nice prep for next season and see what he can do, there’s a lot of money still on offer here in Hong Kong and we’ll just offset that with how the horse is. Obviously if he’s had enough, we’ll just retire him,” Fownes added.
Today’s win was Fownes’ second in conjunction with Purton this season after Guy Dragon (Dark Angel) prevailed at Happy Valley last September.
“Zac is a great rider, so it was good to team up with him and get that result. He’s done well on the horse before so it was a good result all round,” Fownes said.
By Declan Schuster
Caspar Fownes lands heavyweight blow in trainers’ championship tussle
In a phenomenal show of strength crowned by victories in the final two Group races of the Hong Kong season, Caspar Fownes took a decisive upper hand in the battle with John Size for the 2020-21 trainers’ championship with a quintet at Sha Tin.
Bidding for a fourth title, Fownes leads 11-time champion Size 74-67 with seven meetings left in the current term after his imposing 12-horse string dominated with five victories and two seconds across ten races.
Champion in 2006-07, 2008-09 and 2013-14, Fownes entered the 81st meeting of the season with a two-win buffer over Size. By day’s end, he had boosted his stocks in spectacular fashion with victories by Joy Master, Lucky Quality, Southern Legend, Sky Field and Killer Bee to equal his previous best haul at Sha Tin.
Symbolically, Fownes’ show of strength traversed the age gap – from veteran Southern Legend’s Premier Plate triumph to Sky Field’s effort to lead home Sky Darci (Darci Brahma) in the Premier Cup Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) to the continued emergence of Killer Bee.
“We needed to do something good, something big that makes a statement and we’ve done that today. Now it’s good luck, we’re there and we’ve got the momentum going. I’ve got a lot more winners coming so I’m happy, feeling good. It’s been a great day,” Fownes said.
Sky Field’s rasping finish validated Fownes’ faith in the gelding and provided Blake Shinn with a massive thrill, leaving Fownes to plot a possible course to December’s 2021 Hong Kong International Races.
“I’ve told you how good he is and it was wonderful to see Blake get the result with him. He settled beautifully for Blake last start and again today over an extra furlong he settled really well. In the run ‘I said ‘I know what he can do’. The best is yet to come with him, so it’s wonderful,” Fownes said.
Shinn enjoyed a trouble-free trip before unleashing the gelding.
“Caspar just emphasised to switch the horse off and use his best asset, which is his turn of foot. The horse did everything right,” the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m)-winning jockey said.
“When I produced him, he picked them up effortlessly and ran right through the line. It’s great because we’ve all believed in this horse’s ability and he stood up and beat a quality field. It’s just fantastic to win a Group race here in Hong Kong.”
Describing Sky Field’s acceleration as “electric”, Shinn said: “He feels like a genuine Group 1 horse and he’s been placed in the sprint two runs ago at the highest level in Hong Kong and from the first time I got on him, I thought he was a Group 1 horse.
“Even though he didn’t win a Group 1 today, I’m sure next preparation he’s only going to flourish and become a really big force in the coming season.
“To win this race here today for Caspar, who’s been a supporter from day one, is very meaningful. It’s Caspar’s day today.”
Fownes said Sky Darci will now be spelled.
“He was great, he’s had a huge season and it was a great effort to come back again at the end of the year. You know how hot it is and we’ve kept them up all season,” he said.
Joao Moreira, who extended his lead in the jockeys’ championship to 25 over Zac Purton with a treble, remains upbeat about Killer Bee, who again showed a brilliant turn of foot after being reluctant to load before lifting the Class 3 Amber Handicap (1200m).
“He’s a very smart horse, still a bit green and does things wrong but where he is at the moment, he gives us the confidence he will go very high in the ratings,” Moreira said, noting the gelding’s pre-race antics “proves to me he is still very immature and doesn’t know what his job is and nothing like time. With time, he will do things better.”
Fownes said: “He’s a good horse. I think we’re going to have a really exciting horse for the future. He looks to be very progressive. He’s a gentleman inside the stable, just to put the saddle on (and) he’s a little bit naughty.”
Fownes ignited his quest for championship glory in perfect fashion when apprentice Alfred Chan’s well-judged finish on Joy Master enabled the gelding to snare the Class 5 Tourmaline Handicap (1600m), the program-opener.
The David Hall-trained Swot Troopers Wind (Smart Missile) denied Fownes and Vincent Ho on Tailor Made (Archipenko) in the second race – the Class 4 Peridot Handicap (2000m) – under a superb front-running ride by Matthew Poon to post his second win in four starts.
But the Fownes onslaught resumed in the Class 4 Jasper Handicap (1000m) when Moreira piloted injury-prone Lucky Quality to victory over first-starter Flying Dragon (Per Incanto) and Spicy So Good (Whittington).
As Fownes’ deluge intensified, Ruan Maia celebrated a drought-breaking success on Paul O’Sullivan’s Marado (Pins) in the Class 4 Onyx Handicap (1200m) in the Brazilian’s first success since 8 April.
“I’m feeling happy because it’s been a long time since my last winner (Wine And Wine at Happy Valley),” Maia said after posting his fifth win since arriving from Singapore in February.
“It’s been tough at this time but I’m happy because I get more experience, I can improve my mind, I can improve myself and I just wait for my moment to find my way. I keep fighting.”
Matthew Chadwick produced a wonderful ride on Benno Yung’s Hinchinlove (Hinchinbrook) from barrier 14 to deny Size and Moreira’s Lucky Express (Toronado) in a tight finish to the Class 2 Alexandrite Handicap (1400m).
Chadwick found the rail on the gelding, rating the bay to perfection before surviving by a short head.
Hall posted a double when Purton drove Maldives (Burgundy) to success in the Class 3 Aquamarine Handicap (1400m).
Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday.