Mark Newnham regained command at the top of the trainers’ championship at Sha Tin on Sunday with Crimson Flash’s feature win, but insists the championship race will come down to the final race of the season.
The Australian entered the meeting level with a win with Caspar Fownes and moved up to second, but Crimson Flash’s sudden success in the Grade Two Pilkem Handicap (1,200m) saw him take direct control on 48 winners.
The victory signaled the end of the championship battle, with only a nose separating Crimson Flash and Rising Force in a desperate run to the finals.
A clear third behind the battling leaders Victor The Winner and Rising Force, the Showtime runner appeared to be in trouble 200 meters from home, but he was spurred on by Andrea Atzeni and showed intent to nail his rival at the line, denying Ricky Yiu Poon-fai his third goal on the day.
It was back-to-back wins since he stepped up in the Standard Mile, following a win at Happy Valley last time out, and Newnham hopes his versatility can help him add to his already impressive record of four Hong Kong wins and one in Australia to advance.
“In the 200m, it didn’t look like he could take him, but he ran well and that’s something he’s been good at; he’s a real horse,” Newnham said.
“(Rising Force) the lightweight is a smart horse and it took a lot of time to pull him in. I’m pleased to see the picture go his way.
“He’s a good horse and he’s still getting better – you can see when he first gets pressure he tends to lift his head a bit and it wasn’t until the last part of the race that he got off well.
“He’s still learning and he’s building a good record. He showed today that he can go around Sha Tin; he’s a versatile guy, he’s now won in the corner, in the straight and at Happy Valley too.”
The title fight so far has seen Newnham and Fownes trade punches throughout, with Fownes going clear before being brought back by Newnham in a stunning five-run game at Happy Valley last month.
While the pair go hammer and tongs, the likes of Danny Shum Chap-shing (43), David Hayes (42) and Francis Lui Kin-wai (40) have entered the fray as well, and Newnham has no doubt the fight is going to the bitter end.
“It will come down to the last day – I have no doubt, because one of the top five or six trainers can do what Caspar did the other day,” Newnham said, referring to Fownes’ fourth at Happy Valley last Wednesday.
“We had a five-time winner already, Francis looks like he’s got a really good group of horses too – anyone in the top group could have three, four or five winners on the day and put themselves in contention. It will come down to the end and it could be any of us.
“It’s a good position to be in, but it’s a testament to the hard work of my staff. We’ve put good systems in place, we’ve got good owners and good horses too. It’s just a matter of finding a system and routine that works, and we’ve got that – the results show.”
There was pain at the tail end for Atzeni, however, as the Sardinian was suspended for one meeting for careless driving following an early interference in the Crimson Flash race.
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