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Jebel Ali patron Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his resident trainer Michael Costa have once again made headlines in their backyard for the second consecutive meeting. They achieved a double on Saturday, bringing their season's tally to 10.
Sheikh Ahmed's yellow team won big at the recent races, dominating the 1400m Mohaather Stakes sponsored by Shadwell. Mersaal, ridden by Omani apprentice Qais Al Busaidi, took the lead after the 600m marker and won comfortably, followed by teammate Sadaaty ridden by Ben Coen. Almoreb, ridden by Bernardo Pinheiro, took third place. This was their second 1-2 win on the card, with Bilhayl and Coen winning the Handicap Sprint Stakes earlier.
In the 2yo Novice Stakes sponsored by Al Shafar Investments, Mooder, ridden by Bhupat Seemar, won by a length in a tough competition against Turjman, ridden by Coen. Rasas finished third, ridden by Connor Beasley. In the 1600m Tobougg Corner Stakes sponsored by Jebel Ali Racecourse, Delorean won by two and three fourths of a length, ridden by Beasley, with Waqet, ridden by Ryan Curatolo, in second place and Eljenob, ridden by Coen, in third.
The races started with The Audi Cup, a 1000m maiden for Purebred Arabians, which was won by AF Yatwa'ad, trained by Qaiss Aboud and ridden by Pinheiro. In other races, Julio Olascoaga and Rayed won the 1200m Al Redha Insurance Cup, while Salem bin Ghadayer and Attribution, ridden by Ffrench, won the Dubai Fitness Challenge 30x30 Cup.
John Size reached a new milestone in his impressive career on Sunday at Sha Tin, when he became the second person ever to saddle 1,500 winners in Hong Kong. This remarkable achievement adds yet another layer to Size's extraordinary journey as a 12-time champion trainer, following in the footsteps of fellow Australian John Moore.
Hong Kong racing witnessed an incredible feat as Trainer Size celebrated his 1,500th win with a stunning quartet. Raging Blizzard, ridden by the six-time Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton, won the Class 4 BOC Life Handicap to mark Size's entry into one of the most exclusive clubs in Hong Kong racing.
With this achievement, Size now sits behind only Moore (1,735 wins) in the long and decorated history of Hong Kong racing. He went on to win with Beauty Eternal, Helios Express, and Ensued, crowning this monumental feat.
“I’m very satisfied with my career in Hong Kong. It’s been very good from the first season when I started here and it’s given me great satisfaction,” Size, 69, said expressing surprise that he had reached such an imposing milestone with his 10,912th starter in Hong Kong.
“No, I didn’t imagine that (reaching 1,500 winners). I thought it was a very tough assignment for me to come here but right from the beginning it seems like I was well suited and I’ve done much better than I could have imagined.”
Trainer Size has achieved an incredible feat with his stunning quartet, marking his 1,500th win and entry into one of the most exclusive clubs in Hong Kong racing. Raging Blizzard, ridden by the six-time Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton, won the Class 4 BOC Life Handicap, followed by Beauty Eternal, Helios Express, and Ensued, crowning this monumental achievement. With 16 Group One victories and three BMW Hong Kong Derby triumphs to his credit, Size has been synonymous with some of the jurisdiction's smartest horses, and he reached this landmark with a winning strike rate of 13.7%.
Size's first license for the 2001/02 season saw him sweep to the Hong Kong trainers' championship, repeating the feat in 2002/03, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10, 2011/12, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, and 2022/23, making him the owner of the most training crowns in the long and decorated history of Hong Kong racing.
“I’ll leave someone out if I start mentioning names, but Electronic Unicorn started the procession. He was a fantastic horse to come to me in my first season and gave me a great start and a big kick along,” Size reflected.
“The three (Hong Kong) Derby horses, of course – Fay Fay (2012), Luger (2015) and Ping Hai Star (2018) – and Beat The Clock, who won four Group Ones in 12 months. It’s been a great ride and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“I’m very satisfied and I’m very grateful that I was able to come here.”
Following his usual steady start to the season, Trainer Size picked up the pace in his pursuit of a 13th training crown by securing a quartet today. With Helios Express winning the Class 2 BOCHK Asset Management Handicap, Size completed a race-to-race double, while jockey Brenton Avdulla's first Hong Kong four-timer put him in contention for the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley on 6th December.
“It’s a massive result, obviously I had just knocked over a few singles (previously) – I hadn’t even had a double until today,” Avdulla said. “I did think coming here today that this was my strongest book of rides. I had good gates.
“I thought with a bit of luck, I could get one or two – it worked out well to get three, now four. It’s a big result.”
Ensued, a promising BMW Hong Kong Derby contender, maintained his unbeaten record by displaying great determination in winning the Class 3 BOC Credit Card Handicap. Jockey Brenton Avdulla, who rode him to victory, praised the horse's performance, saying, "It worked out really well, it was a wide draw but the race panned out well. On the turn, I thought he was the winner. He's a nice horse." Meanwhile, Helios Express, a Toronado gelding, secured a Top-Up Bonus of HK$1.5 million by securing his third win in four starts in Hong Kong.
Avdulla continued his winning streak by clinching victory in two other races before riding Ensued to his fourth win of the season. In other races, Champion Dragon and Galaxy Patch emerged victorious, while Antoine Hamelin won the BOCHK "Banking TrendyToo" Handicap aboard Douglas Whyte's Tamra Blitz. Hong Kong racing will resume at Happy Valley on Wednesday ni