Victor The Winner snares Centenary Sprint Cup
Victor The Winner (Toronado) could embark on an ambitious overseas campaign after the lightly raced speedster upstaged decorated opposition, including Lucky Sweynesse (Sweynesse) and Wellington (All Too Hard), with convincing victory in the Centenary Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 1200m) at Sha Tin yesterday.
Jumping from barrier 10, the 37-1 chance forged straight to the lead for Derek Leung and strode virtually unchallenged through a leisurely first 400 metres of the race, clocking 24.30 seconds, before accelerating from the home turn and building an unassailable lead.
Clocking 22.18 seconds for the final 400 metres, Victor The Winner prevailed by a length and three-quarters from Lucky With You (Artie Schiller), while Wellington was a further half length away in third place. Lucky Sweynesse, who ambled from the gates and was trapped behind a wall of runners to be 11th with 400 metres left to run, produced the fastest final sectional of 21.98 seconds but was never a winning chance.
“He [Lucky Sweynesse] didn’t jump slow, but he couldn’t get into stride and then when the horses got in front of him and backed the speed right off, that made it impossible from where we were,” Zac Purton said. “So, he just lost it in the first part of the race.”
It was a rare rebuttal for Purton yesterday, when he dominated the undercard with six winners – Nicholson Returns (Iffraaj), Ace Victory (Vancouver), Beato (Tavistock), Gorgeous Win (Press Statement), Sweet Encounter (Toronado) and Green N White (Smart Missile) – but it was unquestionably Leung’s time to shine as the homegrown talent tasted Group 1 success for the first time since Beauty Generation’s (Road To Rock) 2017 Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) victory.
“It feels great. Thank you for the opportunity from the owner and the trainer. We drew an outside gate, but we flew out of the gate, so took advantage and just went forward – he was quite relaxed after that and at the 500 metres, I knew he was going to kick very strong. Very lucky, it was a win,” Leung said.
Asked if he was surprised to have led as easily, Leung said: “Very lucky. It could not be better.”
Shum, who savoured Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) and Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) victories with Romantic Warrior (Acclamation), said Leung had followed instructions perfectly.
“His pace for the first [sectional] was absolutely great, he did it in 24 something [seconds]. I’m very happy for the stable, the owner and Derek as well,” Shum said. “When he got a good lead, I thought he had a chance. He’s tough and very good in front.”
Shum said he would now consider a tilt at the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (Gr 1, 1200m) at Chukyo on March 24 with Victor The Winner.
“I entered him in Japan over 1200 metres, so I will see how he pulls up and then decide if I keep him in Hong Kong or send him to Japan in March,” Shum said. “I’ve considered Japan for a long time, because it’s a left-hand turn. In the morning, his left-hand turn is better than his right-hand turn, so we have to give him a chance overseas.”
Purton leads the Hong Kong jockeys’ championships with 61 wins – 21 clear of Karis Teetan (40) and Hugh Bowman (30).
His spree began with David Hall’s Nicholson Returns in the Class 4 Fu Tai Handicap (2000m) before he sealed an early double when Benno Yung’s Ace Victory crossed from barrier 12 to find the rail in the first section of the Class 4 On Ting Handicap (1200m).
The six-time champion jockey’s domination continued with Tony Cruz’s Beato in the Class 4 Yan Oi Tong Cup Handicap (1600m) before the Danny Shum-trained Gorgeous Win provided Purton with his fourth spoil of the afternoon with a convincing win in the Class 3 Tai Hing Handicap (1200m).
Purton then teamed with John Size’s Sweet Encounter in the Class 3 Yan Tin Handicap (1600m) before he closed the meeting as he started it when Ricky Yiu’s Green N White – a Hong Kong Derby (Listed, 2000m) nomination – crowned a fabulous day for the Australian.
“It’s good [the six-timer] – it’s been a bit of a grind through the season so far. There have been a number of factors behind that but hopefully the second half of the season can be a bit stronger, like it was today,” Purton said.
David Hall also completed a brace when Andrea Atzeni partnered Champion Instinct (Holler) to victory in the second section of the Class 4 On Ting Handicap (1200m), Hong Kong International Sale graduate Smart Beauty (Dark Angel) broke through for his first win with success under Angus Chung in the Class 5 Lung Yat Handicap (1600m) for Tony Cruz and Chris So’s Panda Legend (Astern) scored in the Class 4 Po Tin Handicap (1400m) under Keagan De Melo.