Apprentice jockey Ellis Wong Chi-wang registered the biggest win of his career when his master’s sprinter, Kurpany, burst Dream Winner’s bubble in the Class Two Causeway Bay Handicap (1,000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Indentured to four-time Hong Kong champion trainer Caspar Fownes since he returned from Australia late last season, Wong was aboard the top-weighted rank outsider in the straight race’s five-runner field.
However, Kurpany belied his $25.60 odds under Wong to lead all the way, fending off Whizz Kid to claim the Class Two contest by a head, with previously unbeaten $1.30 favourite Dream Winner crossing the line last, albeit only one and a half lengths behind the victor.
Wong, whom Jockey Club stewards have yet to approve to ride in races at Happy Valley, grinned from ear to ear following Kurpany’s big-priced first-up success.
“I’m very happy because it’s my first Class Two winner, and especially because I won it for my boss,” Wong said. “I jumped easy and let the horse do it himself. He gave me such a strong finish.”
“I feel I made some mistakes last season, so I’m focusing on how to improve this year,” added Wong, who also placed third on dirt specialist Fiery Diamond in the Class Three Tai Hang Handicap (1,200m) that opened Sunday’s dual-surface Sha Tin meeting.
Dream Winner’s handler, Frankie Lor Fu-chuen, offered no excuses for his beaten hotpot, who smashed the clock in two of his three 1,000m victories last term.
“He’s come back looking OK. He doesn’t appear to have any problems,” Lor said. “He was disappointing, but it was his first time in Class Two, and maybe he needs further. I’ll give him a trial, and maybe his next run will be over 1,200m rather than 1,000m.”
The Group Three National Day Cup (1,000m), which is the feature black-type handicap event at Sha Tin on October 1, is the likely next assignment for Kurpany, who snapped his eight-race, 595-day run without a win when he transported Wong to his biggest-ever payday.
Kurpany’s drought-breaking victory did not take aback Fownes, who pointed to the quality of the galloper’s trial at Conghua.
“Not surprised at all,” Fownes said. “His trial was very good, right? He’s in good form. He’s raced in some decent races down here. I thought the race was going to be strong for him. The whole field was within one length, which was what we thought.
“Vincent Ho’s horse looked to be the good horse coming into the race – three from three – but our horse is in good form. He’s a fit horse, and the kid did a good job on him. It’s nice to get a winner.
“I got him in the bottom of Class Three and took him all the way up to well into the 100s. Like anything in Hong Kong, they get to a mark, and then they start to come back down. He’s come back down, and he’s summered well. He’s had quite a few problems, and we’ve had to get him over that. It’s always hard work to bring a horse back from injuries.”
Fownes celebrated a near-1,000-1 double when Killer Instinct ($38.70) ended his lengthy losing streak when he took out the Class Four Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Challenge Cup (1,200m) under Luke Ferraris.
Killer Instinct overcame the outside barrier to win for the first time in 578 days, during which time he had suffered 16 consecutive defeats.
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“Gate 12 on the dirt can be OK. Sometimes you can be wide and still horses can run well,” Fownes said.
“Of course, it’s not very nice when you get a wide gate, but the horse was fit, he looked good and he’s quite versatile – he can go from 1,200m to 1,650m.”
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