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| Sumita Pawar |
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On Thursday morning at Sha Tin, Voyage Bubble and Beauty Eternal secured solid trial wins, putting them on track for a breakthrough Group One success at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on December 10th.
BMW Hong Kong Derby winner, Voyage Bubble, prepared for the HK$32 million LONGINES Hong Kong Mile and faced off against Golden Sixty. He was ridden by James McDonald and closed steadily to win the 1200m hitout by three-quarters of a length from Gallant Waking in 1m 10.24s.
"He trialled beautifully, really happy with him. He felt great and had a nice blow afterwards and he'll improve from today's hitout," McDonald.
Ricky Yiu's Voyage Bubble, who finished fourth in the plate_number_1 Champions Mile to Golden Sixty in April, recently resumed with a third to Beauty Eternal in the Gr.2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile on November 19th. This puts Voyage Bubble on track for a breakthrough Group One success at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on December 10th.
In the same event, John Size-trained Beauty Eternal covered ground under Zac Purton and won the race by a short head, clocking 1m 10.83s. This impressive performance by Beauty Eternal has put her on track for a successful run at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on December 10th.
"His trial was good. He trialled around the outside and did what he had to do. He has come through his last run nicely and trialled well again today. It looks like he's ready," the Australian said.
In the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile, Golden Sixty will aim to equal the record with a third victory. Competing against him will be last year's champion California Spangle, as well as a group of Japanese raiders led by Danon The Kid, Serifos, Namur, Divina, Soul Rush, and France's Tribalist.
Zac Purton leads the Hong Kong jockeys' championship with 32 wins for the season so far. He is ahead of Karis Teetan and Hugh Bowman, as the Australian seeks his seventh title. This Sunday, Purton will ride nine horses at Sha Tin, including David Hall-trained Flying Ace in the Class 2 Peninsula Golden Jubilee Challenge Cup.
"He (Flying Ace) has been drawn on the outside all season and it's been a bit hard for him, but he's run very well," Purton said.
"The horse is going well, and he's trialled well on the dirt before, so I don't think that's an issue.
"We've just got to get the right tempo for him, because he can overdo it a little bit. Hopefully, they can help him out and he can get the job done – he deserves a win."