{"id":3301,"date":"2020-04-15T23:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T15:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ctr-campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/?p=3301"},"modified":"2020-04-16T13:27:51","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T05:27:51","slug":"golden-sixty-set-for-rest-cruz-left-smiling-and-purton-hits-100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/news\/golden-sixty-set-for-rest-cruz-left-smiling-and-purton-hits-100","title":{"rendered":"Golden Sixty set for rest, Cruz left smiling and Purton hits 100"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
[vc_row el_class=”section-padding-top”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2016″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” css_animation=”none” el_class=”title”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/div>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”3295″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Golden Sixty was the talk of Happy Valley on Wednesday (15 April) night with trainer Francis Lui revealing that his sensational BMW Hong Kong Derby hero will not contest the G1 FWD QEII Cup on 26 April.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe won\u2019t run,\u201d Lui said. \u201cHe\u2019s achieved a lot this season and we feel he needs a rest now to refresh his mind and let him develop. He\u2019ll have a summer break and then we\u2019ll prepare him for next season.\u201d\r\n\r\nGolden Sixty dominated the Four-Year-Old Classic Series \u2013 winning all three legs \u2013 in the first quarter of this year and will down tools for a well-deserved break with a record of seven wins this term from as many starts.\r\n\r\nThat news boosted the prospects of last year\u2019s FWD QEII Cup (2000m) runner-up Exultant being able to go one place better for trainer Tony Cruz, whose smile broadened when he bagged a double at the city track thanks to California Rad and Sunshine Warrior.\r\n\r\nThe latter benefitted from an astute and powerful Chad Schofield ride to take the Class 3 Fountain Palm Handicap (1650m). The jockey has now nabbed at least one win at seven race meetings in a row.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe did that nicely,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cThis horse has won two in a row so he seems to like the Valley but he\u2019s just a solid Class 3 horse.\u201d\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”3296″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Cruz was also instrumental in Karis Teetan\u2019s completion of a double on the nine-race card.\r\n\r\nThe Mauritian guided the Cruz-trained California Rad to a breakthrough score in section two of the Class 4 Larch Handicap (1200m).\r\n\r\n\u201cI was trialling him when he first started and I said to Tony he had a lot of ability but he was very green and immature,\u201d Teetan said.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe\u2019s run some very good races this season but I think he wasn\u2019t ready until now. Today, with the blinkers on for the first time, he felt different, he felt like he\u2019d improved a lot and I think he\u2019ll improve more for this.\u201d\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]
<\/div>

Humble Steed takes the opener to give Benno Yung his 200th win.<\/p>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]That win followed a first race score atop Humble Steed (126lb) \u2013 trainer Benno Yung\u2019s 200th career win \u2013 in the opener, the Class 5 Walnut Handicap (1650m).\r\n\r\n\u201cHe was dropped down in class and he had the perfect run today. I\u2019d worked the horse and Benno had him in very good condition, so all credit to him,\u201d the rider said after edging a three-way finish by a short-head from Nitro Express (132lb) and V Chevaliers (131lb) who crossed in unison to share second.\r\n\r\nTeetan\u2019s brace took him to 59 wins for the term, 25 short of last season\u2019s personal best score of 84, with 25 race meetings of the current campaign remaining.\r\n\r\n\u201cI never set any target, I just keep riding hard and try to win on every horse I ride,\u201d Teetan said. \u201cThe main thing here in Hong Kong is to just keep the momentum going and try to get more support.\u201d\r\n\r\nPurton hits the century<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”3297″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The championship prospects of Zac Purton were aided by a treble that took him to 100 wins for the term, just one behind premiership leader Joao Moreira who endured a blank evening.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe target at the start of the season is always 100 and I think if you ride that amount of winners you\u2019ve had a very good season,\u201d Purton said. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to do \u2013 only three jockeys in history have done it in Hong Kong, so to get there again is satisfying because I haven\u2019t had one stable I ride for fly this season, they\u2019ve all sort of gone ok but not great and it\u2019s made things a little bit hard.\u201d\r\n\r\nPurton\u2019s fifth Hong Kong century came in a thrilling finale \u2013 the Class 2 Cedar Handicap (1800m) \u2013 that pitted the two great rivals in an all-out tussle through the final 500m. The champion jockey aboard Dances With Dragon slip-streamed Moreira\u2019s back-stretch advance on Enrichment and enjoyed a slingshot run to the lead at the top of the home straight, only for the Brazilian\u2019s mount to rally and press him all the way to the line.\r\n\r\n\u201cI just got a lovely drag into the race on his back,\u201d Purton said. \u201cThey slowed the pace right off, we made the move at the right time and we had a good battle up the straight. It was good to get one over him again.\u201d\r\n\r\nEarlier, Island Shine and Purton took section two of the Class 3 Cypress Handicap (1200m). The win moved Ricky Yiu to 48 wins \u2013 one ahead of Lui at the top of the trainers\u2019 premiership.\r\n\r\nPurton kicked off his three-timer in section one of the Class 4 Larch Handicap (1200m). Compassion Sprit had the Australian aboard for the first time at his fourth start and the Manfred Man-trained three-year-old carried the champion jockey to an easy success. The 1.8 favourite broke his maiden by three quarters of a length under hands and heels.\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”3298″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Antoine Hamelin bagged a double at his first Hong Kong race day last Sunday and followed up with his first Happy Valley victory tonight. The Frenchman showed determined force in driving the Peter Ho-trained Lasting Friendship to a neck success in race three, the Class 4 Spruce Handicap (1650m).\r\n\r\nDylan Mo claimed his seventh win of the campaign aboard the Me Tsui-trained Sky Treasure in section three of the Class 4 Larch Handicap (1200m).\r\n\r\nApprentice Victor Wong took section one of the Cypress Handicap (1200m) on the Frankie Lor-trained Beauty Spark.\r\n\r\nHong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday, 19 April.\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”3295″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Golden Sixty was the talk of Happy Valley on Wednesday (15 April) night with trainer Francis Lui revealing that his sensational BMW Hong Kong Derby hero will not contest the G1 FWD QEII Cup on 26 April. \u201cHe won\u2019t run,\u201d Lui said. \u201cHe\u2019s achieved a lot this season and we… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"2normal","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3301"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3301"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3304,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3301\/revisions\/3304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}