 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Chill Chibi, under the guidance of trainer Danny Shum, made another bold move towards the BMW Hong Kong Derby in March. The talented young stayer showcased his skills by outclassing older competitors in the Class 3 Dunnottar Castle Handicap at Happy Valley on 29th November Wednesday night. This victory signals Chill Chibi's continued progress towards his ultimate goal of earning HK$26 million.
Chill Chibi has had an impressive record with four wins and a close second out of five starts. This performance has made Chill Chibi a top candidate for the 2024 4YO Classic Series, which includes the Hong Kong Classic Mile on 4 February, the Hong Kong Classic Cup on 3 March, and the BMW Hong Kong Derby on 24 March.
Trainer Shum, who won the BMW Hong Kong Derby in 2022 with Romantic Warrior, has confirmed that Chill Chibi will continue to compete in this prestigious race. Most recently, Chill Chibi showcased his impressive skills by charging from last place to win confidently in a 10-horse field under the guidance of jockey Jerry Chau.
“He’s a nice horse and he's getting better day by day. Even though he carried top weight (133lb), I was still confident he could win the race,” Shum said.
“I can enter him (next) over 2000m at Sha Tin or run him in a 1650m Class 2 at Happy Valley. After that, we'll give him a bit of a break and go straight to the Derby. I will talk to Jerry tomorrow morning and decide which one is the best for him.”
Asked if the 4YO was the best horse he had ridden, Chau said: “I think so, he’s got potential. He’s a fantastic horse, he’s got a good heart and every time he fights for me.
“The early stages (tonight), he can’t catch up with the pace but when I started to ask him to go – I didn’t want to get into a traffic jam – and he showed his talent.”
Benno Yung's Son Pak Fu emerged victorious in the Class 2 Eilean Castle Handicap in a stunning fashion under the guidance of Jockey Jerry Chau, who had a memorable card. This was Son Pak Fu's sixth win over Happy Valley's 1200m course, as he clocked 22.50s over the final 400m to eclipse a strong field comprising of Majestic Knight and Howdeepisyourlove.
Meanwhile, Zac Purton rode Humble Star to victory in the Class 3 Edinburgh Castle Handicap, extending Pierre Ng's remarkable start to the season. Ng's stable has clinched 15 winners across the past eight meetings and 27 for the season, which is nine more than Douglas Whyte, Francis Lui, Shum, and Caspar Fownes, who all have 16 victories.
“We’re getting them rolling and the horses are running brilliantly at the moment,” said Ng, who has saddled 11 of his winners this term at Happy Valley.
In addition to Ng's impressive start, Whyte has also been performing well this season. He teamed up with fellow South African Keagan De Melo, who rode Wonder Years to victory in the Class 4 Stirling Castle Handicap. Meanwhile, Alexis Badel and Ricky Yiu celebrated a win in the Class 4 St Andrew’s Challenge Quaich Handicap with Watch Buddy, a 4YO Rothesay with two course and distance wins under its belt.
“It worked out pretty well, obviously the draw (barrier one) was important. He was carrying plenty of weight (133lb) and there was pace in the race so I was travelling comfortably on the inside and it was pretty straight-forward,” Badel said.
“We just had to quicken and sustain the effort and he was pretty good.”
At Happy Valley, Manfred Man's Happy Horse won the Class 5 Kinfauns Castle Handicap, adding to Angus Chung's impressive season. Chung has 11 victories at Happy Valley this season and a total of 18 wins, placing him in fourth behind Zac Purton, Karis Teetan and Hugh Bowman. Yung also had a successful day, with Turtle Again winning the Class 5 Crookston Castle Handicap under Derek Leung. John Size and Brenton Avdulla celebrated their fifth win of the season with Act Of Faith's success in the Class 4 Balmoral Castle Handicap.