Frankie Lor Fu-chuen may only have one more week until he officially loses the title of Hong Kong’s champion trainer to his good friend and former boss, John Size, but he is determined to continue churning out wins.
Lor was on the mark with classy sprinter Adios at Sha Tin on Sunday to record his 65th victory this season, and he heads to Happy Valley on Wednesday with a host of chances to add to his tally.
A Pal will chase his third triumph for Lor this term in Wednesday’s Class Two Sun Jewellery Handicap (1,650m), and there are a million reasons the handler hopes the galloper returns to winning ways as the campaign approaches its conclusion.
A Class Two victory for A Pal would trigger a HK$1 million performance bonus, and while Lor would not see a cent of that money because all of it would go to owner Lee Sheung-chau, he would love A Pal to bounce back from his last-start flop when he makes his first Happy Valley appearance.
Despite winning twice at Sha Tin this season, A Pal’s regular rider, Derek Leung Ka-chun, felt the More Than Ready gelding did not appreciate the rain-affected surface at the New Territories venue last week when he finished five lengths and six places behind Flaming Rabbit after jumping as the $3 favourite.
Lor has chosen to switch A Pal from Sha Tin to Happy Valley and run the former Team Hawkes-trained chestnut beyond 1,400m for the first time in either Hong Kong or Australia.
“I’ll give him one more chance because if he wins in Class Two, he’ll get a HK$1 million bonus, and he’s done nothing wrong at home,” Lor said of A Pal, who missed all three legs of the Classic Series throughout February and March due to his in-race bleeding incident in January.
“Last time, Derek said A Pal didn’t like the wet track. Usually, he jumps fast. However, last time, he didn’t jump like before.”
Among Lor’s other contenders at Happy Valley on Wednesday is Flaming Passion, who will attempt to complete a course-and-distance hat-trick in the Class Four Fast Most Furious Handicap (1,200m).
Flaming Passion has won four times in Hong Kong but never off a rating higher than 55. Now racing on a mark of 59, the Headwater gelding will need a career-best performance to prevail, and while you could not say Lor is brimming with confidence about the five-year-old sprinter’s chance of registering another success, he is far from ruling it out from gate four.
Super Vince is another Lor representative on the nine-race Happy Valley card, and he will try his luck in the Class Three Lucky Patch Handicap (1,000m).
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A winner on his penultimate start at Class Four level, Super Vince was 11th of 12 on his latest outing in Class Three company. However, merciful punters may be able to forgive him that poor run, with ground conditions on the soft side of good perhaps not suiting the son of Brazen Beau.
King Invincible in the Class Four Kings Falcon Handicap (1,000m) and Beauty Mission in the Class Four Silver Grecian Handicap (1,650m) complete Lor’s Happy Valley travelling party. He trails Size by 10 wins in this term’s trainers’ championship with two meetings remaining.
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