Delighted De Melo bags first HK double: ‘I’m on an upwards curve right now’

Keagan de Melo landed his maiden Sha Tin victory before going on to post his first Hong Kong double with a pair of Class Two victories on Sunday.

After saluting on Rising From Ashes in the penultimate contest of the day, the South African jockey steered home Atullibigeal in the finale to record successive wins and complete a 255-1 double.

Heading into Sunday’s meeting, De Melo had gone 22 rides without a win at Sha Tin, and he was relieved to break that duck.

“I’m absolutely delighted, and it’s great to get a first win at Sha Tin. It’s been a struggle here, but I think the quality of rides I had today proved it is possible,” De Melo said.

“I think my better rides have been at Happy Valley, so it’s nice to pick up some good ones today and I look forward to getting better ones again.”

Crowned champion jockey in South Africa last year, De Melo snared his first win in Hong Kong on just his fourth ride, and the first-season jockey hopes Sunday’s brace can springboard him to further success.

“I’ve settled in very well. It’s getting easier to adapt to a lot of things here and obviously the racing is always competitive. You’ve just got to take it day by day but I think I’m on an upwards curve right now,” he said.

The 30-year-old, who has seven Group One wins to his name among over 1,200 career victories, recorded a fourth win for the season in the Swimming Handicap (1,800m) aboard $23 shot, Rising From Ashes.

A first-up winner over 1,600m at Happy Valley, the six-year-old was making his first appearance at Sha Tin for over 18 months, and relished the step up in trip.

Taking a keen hold, De Melo waited in midfield before urging his mount forward 400m from home.

After hitting the front 150m out, the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained galloper edged clear to provide his handler with a 13th victory of the season and take him to the top of the premiership.

“It was his first time at Sha Tin for a while, and he was up in class, so I wasn’t that confident, but he had a nice draw and a light weight,” Lui said.

“You look at how he ran today and I think the switch [from Happy Valley to Sha Tin] made no difference.”

It was a similar story in the finale, with De Melo settling Atullibigeal in a similar position to Rising With Ashes from gate two before assuming the lead in the closing stages of the Equestrian Handicap (1,400m).

“He’s been racing against some good opposition in the past, and I was just very lucky that the gaps opened up,” the rider said of Atullibigeal.

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Sha Tin’s dirt track takes centre stage on Wednesday evening, with eight races held on the all-weather surface.

After Sunday’s success, De Melo hopes to transfer his recent good form to the midweek meeting.

“I think it’s going to be a long evening on the dirt, but I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

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