Determination, resilience and a positive mindset are three of Hong Kong’s enduring hallmarks and Lyle Hewitson has embodied all of these qualities with sustained excellence recently.
Sidelined for several weeks with a fractured pelvis in December, Lyle has been rewarded for his persistence after fighting back to full fitness and health with five wins and two seconds from his past seven rides.
Those sorts of numbers are usually the domain of Joao Moreira and Zac Purton, but Lyle’s effort to post his first Hong Kong double this season at the FWD Champion’s Day meeting last Sunday was swiftly followed by his first Hong Kong treble to win the Jockey Challenge with 48 points at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, proving his thirst for success is far from slaked.
Another mid-week feature was the quartet of winners who had recently returned to Hong Kong from Conghua. Our Mainland training complex also produced a treble at the previous Happy Valley meeting, another reminder of the facility’s unquestioned value for the trainers who have stables there.
So far this season, 108 horses previously stabled in Conghua before returning to race in Hong Kong have won 135 of 623 races at a strike rate of 21.67% and, with the recent resumption of cross-border horse movement, we can expect the trend to continue.
A week on from an unforgettable FWD Champions Day, the accolades continue to flow for Golden Sixty with his elevation to world No 1 in the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s (TRC) Global Rankings after his superb FWD Champions Mile win.
TRC measures individual achievements over a rolling three-year period to establish ranking positions, a method which differs from classical handicapping, but this latest acknowledgement is certainly well deserved for a horse who has been an inspiration to many in Hong Kong during the pandemic and I again applaud Francis Lui and Vincent Ho for their feats with this wonderful champion.
On a personal note, I am very grateful to be elected as President of the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC) and I pay tribute to Ingmar De Vos, whose leadership at the helm of the Confederation from 2019-2022 has been significantly important and impactful for global horse sport.
I would also like to pay tribute to Louis Romanet, Chairman Emeritus of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), and a previous President and Vice-President of the IHSC. His vision for both the IFHA and the IHSC has laid the groundwork for these organisations to work in harmony for our shared missions.
The relationship between the FEI and the IFHA has indeed been strengthened during the pandemic, and I look forward to leading the IHSC as President, and advancing our shared ideals and activities, specifically our partnership with the World Organisation for Animal Health.
The first World Pool meeting of the UK season takes place on Saturday night with an eight-race simulcast card from Newmarket with the Group 1 2000 Guineas as the fifth race at 10.40 pm.
Last year’s European two-year-old champion Native Trail comes into the race undefeated from five starts, including a recent Group 3 win over the course and distance. The Godolphin runner is a win and place chance under regular rider William Buick. Interestingly, his top rival may be stablemate Coroebus, a promising Dubawi colt, which looks like a top miler in the making. He will be ridden by James Doyle.
Luxembourg is a Group 1 winner over a mile and makes his seasonal debut with Ryan Moore riding. Trainer Aidan O’Brien has won this race 10 times and has another big chance here. Luxembourg is a place chance along with outsider Light Infantry and jockey Jamie Spencer.
At Sha Tin on Sunday, the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup brings together a small field over 2400 metres and is carded as the third of 11 races. Some of the intended runners for the Queen Mother ran instead last week in the FWD QEII Cup as the Group 1 feature was restricted to Hong Kong-based horses.
The pace will be moderate and is likely to shape up as a sit and sprint. Enjoying will make the running with Matthew Chadwick with Looking Great and Alexis Badel in close contention as both horses taking a big step in trip for their first try over the distance.
Senor Toba will be suited by the trip after finishing fourth in the BMW Hong Kong Derby in his last start. He finished a close second in the G1 Queensland Derby over 2400m one year ago and looks a legitimate hope here at the weights under regular rider Joao Moreira. I make him a win and place chance.
Butterfield won this race last season and then went on to finish fourth in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup. He must carry maximum weight under the handicap conditions and is a place chance with Zac Purton along with Looking Great with the light weight.
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