Fast Network made fun of his rivals to win the Class One Essex Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, but his participation in the Group One Al Quoz Sprint (1,200m) is still up in the air.
The Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained five-year-old came on the market at $2.05 and did well under Zac Purton, although his handlers had some anxious moments along the way.
Parked against the fence in midfield for most of the trip, Fast Network entered the race and as the field entered the straight, he was clamoring for a place behind Sky Trust and Tomodachi Kokoroe.
The gap didn’t open, however, and Purton took a bold approach to the inside, squeezing between the Sky Trust and the waning Beauty Waves, and the writing was on the wall.
The pair passed Sky Trust in the stage and did better than the length and margin of the quarter would suggest.
Dubai has long been suggested for Wrote’s smart son, but those plans have been left up in the air due to the Middle East conflict and have left Yip with some big decisions to make.
Whatever happened, however, Yip was sure of one thing – avoiding the world’s best athlete Ka Ying Rising.
Orman and Hall enjoy it twice
There was drama in the Grade Four Norfolk Handicap (1,600m) after Master Trillion’s first Trillion was brought down in the stewards’ room, with the race being awarded The Golden Knight as part of James Orman’s double on the card.
Master’s Trillion, ridden by Derek Leung Ka-chun, traveled on the back of the lead wave but was under pressure as the field turned into the straight, stalked at all times by The Golden Knight.
Leung was close on the heels of Mega Mastermind approaching the 300m pole, and that would be the deciding moment of the race, with James Orman on The Golden Knight having to take Master’s Trillion hanging from him and take his place.
Francis Lui Kin-wai’s charge flared when he was in the open and headed down on the line, with the manager believing that was enough to sustain the rally and convert the first two.
It was the first win in nine attempts for The Golden Knight, a horse who seems to be a trouble magnet according to his trainer.
“I was sure to find it in the stewards’ room, you see face to face that my horse was interfered in directly,” said Lui.
“He always finishes well but it depends on the conditions of the race; he always seems to struggle in his races.
“I think it depends on the program but I think he can even take a step forward now. I think there’s a lot more to come from him.”
The day got even better for Orman in the Grade Three Cornwall Handicap (1,200m) on the dirt, where the up-and-coming Magnifique continued to climb his grades with an impressive performance for David Hall.
Given third place behind the leading pair, Orman always trusted the Charm Spirit sprinter, who cruised up swinging just up the straightaway. Magnifique overtook his rivals after being given an inch by Orman, before settling down in the closing stages to beat Victory Sky by half a length.
It was the fifth win from seven career starts for the four-year-old, who has recovered from a bleed in July and has good prospects going forward.
“It was very unfortunate when he had a bleed last season, so we’ve put him in the wool I guess you could say, and looked after him a little bit, and we’re getting rewarded for that. Hopefully now he can get to the next level,” Hall said.
“The breed likes the dirt, he’s tried well, I was very happy to go with him in the program with 85 points – a set type of race. But I don’t think he’s necessarily just a dirt horse so he’ll go to Class Two at the end of the month on the grass.
“It was really cool to see, I mean I know he’s talented so it wasn’t really a surprise. We don’t have Ka Ying Rising but we do have a quick one.”
All of Hall’s wins came over all-weather conditions, with Good Chap giving his rivals the upper hand in the second leg of the Grade Four Rutland Handicap (1,200m) under Andrea Atzeni.
Traveling three wide, he moved into the middle of the track under the Sardinian jockey and showed a blistering burst to beat Conrad The Great by one and a quarter lengths as the $2.65 favourite.
Comments
