Jamie Kah became the first female jockey to win one of Hong Kong’s principal feature races when Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained front runner Voyage Bubble led the HK$12 million Classic Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday from start to finish under the Australian rider.
Brown lamped late in betting for the opening leg of this season’s Classic Series, presumably by punters who mapped him to get an uncontested lead from gate five, Voyage Bubble found the front easily under Kah, and she rated her pickup ride to perfection.
Voyage Bubble did not run any of the Classic Mile’s four 400m sections quicker than standard time, with his particularly cheap second section enabling him to cover the last 400m in 22.78 – the third-fastest final section of the field – and score by one and a quarter lengths from Tuchel, with $4 favourite Packing Treadmill and 111-rater Cordyceps Six filling the frame in the slowly run event.
“He mapped to get a really nice sweet run in the race. I was confident,” said Kah. “I was a bit worried about him late because he has a tendency to lay in, and I thought something may swoop him, but he built and built – he got stronger and stronger. At the 200m, I thought it wasn’t in doubt.”
Yiu, who only booked Kah after Derek Leung Ka-chun – who rode Voyage Bubble to victory over 1,600m at Sha Tin on January 15 – committed to Sword Point in the Classic Mile and Mickael Barzalona received a ban while riding in Dubai, was quick to heap praise on his jockey.
“Magnificent jockey,” Yiu said of Kah. “I said to her before the race, sectional times play important roles. She comfortably got to the front without any hassle.
“Good jockeys, they place their horses in good positions at the right times. Ideally I want her to ride my horse again, and of course she knows my horse now. I’ll inform her manager right away.”
Yiu indicated Voyage Bubble – his first Classic Series winner, whom he bought as a yearling for A$380,000 (HK$2.1 million) with no barrier trial – would contest the HK$12 million Classic Cup (1,800m) on February 26.
“It’ll be a bigger task, but we’ll go for it. We’ve got to take the chance,” Yiu said of Voyage Bubble’s next assignment. “He’s got a lot of improvement in him, and I’ve got a lot of faith in him.”
Like Yiu, Kah is a believer in Voyage Bubble’s ability to be competitive in the Classic Cup.
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“If he can get the run nice and cheaply in front like he did [in the Classic Mile], I think further isn’t going to worry him,” Kah said. “He was only getting stronger on the line. He’s got a few little quirks to iron out, too, so I think, with a bit more racing and maturity, he’ll turn into a better horse.
“He’s still not fully furnished. There’s still a lot untapped with him. I might be racking up some frequent flier points. I’ll be back for sure.”
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