WA stallions winning in Hong Kong

Friday, 20 January 2023 | Geisel Park-based All American continued the winning run of WA stallions in Hong Kong when Daily Beauty (pictured) completed back-to-back victories in the Beacon Hill Hcp (1600m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday.

WA sires have been represented by winners at all bar one of the Hong Kong meetings held since New Year’s Day.

Ima Single Man (Gingerbread Man) had opened the scoring at Sha Tin on January 1 and he was followed by Daily Beauty (All American), Daring Pursuit (Shooting To Win), Happy Soul (Shooting To Win) and Daily Beauty for a second time this week.

They were augmented by the Dawson Stud-bred Sight Success (Magnus) in the G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (1000m) on January 8.

A daring mid-race move gave Daily Beauty the upper-hand for jockey Vincent Ho on Wednesday and he stubbornly prevailed from GB-bred Smiling Face (Acclamation).  It was the first-leg of a double for trainer Caspar Fownes who is now within five wins of premiership leader Frankie Lor (29 wins).

“I’m on the pace and it’s going well,” said Fownes whose most recent title was in 2020-21.  “I always believed Daily Beauty was a miler but he disappointed when I put him over the distance.  I thought maybe I had got him wrong but then he ran really well the second time at 1600m.”

All American sired Daily Beauty from Mixed Emotions (Testa Rossa) who is closely-related to Group 1 racehorse and sire Northern Meteor.

Packing Treadmill, a progressive son of fellow Geisel Park stallion Manhattan Rain, is primed for his biggest test in the HKJC Classic Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday week, January 29.  He’s among 22 entries and South China Morning Post predicts he will start favourite for the first leg of the prestigious Classic Series.

The Francis Lui-trained 4yo coasted over the line in third spot at the Sha Tin trials on Tuesday in his final hit-out for Zac Purton.  “He has never been the flashiest horse trialling on dirt but that’s probably as good as he’s gone on the surface,” Purton said of Packing Treadmill.  “He does everything he needs to do.

“He’s very kind in the mornings and at the races.  He begins very well, he puts himself in the right spot, he relaxes, he does everything you want a horse to do, and then he just waits for his signal.”

Manhattan Rain sired Packing Treadmill from I’m An Outoftowner (Dane Shadow) who was a Bendigo winner for Lindsay Park.  His second-dam Chelsea Rose (Hennessy) is a half-sister to G1 Randwick Guineas winner Ilovethiscity (Magic Albert).