Widely respected as horse racing’s ultimate quiet achiever, Francis Lui is testament to what is possible in Hong Kong with hard work, dedication and expertise.
Never one to beat his own drum, Francis soared into rarified company on Thursday night (15 February) with a three-timer which gave him his 900th win in Hong Kong – a feat previously accomplished by only John Moore (1,735), John Size (1,523), Tony Cruz (1,485), Caspar Fownes (1,092) and Ricky Yiu (986).
At 65, Francis is training better than ever. He was second to John in last season’s trainers’ championship with 67 wins and he is currently second to Pierre Ng (47 wins) with 35 so far this season.
Given his ability to develop young talent, Francis continues to impress with his horse management – a feature that has been the foundation stone of Hong Kong champion GOLDEN SIXTY’s amazing, record-breaking career.
Having started his career as a jockey in Hong Kong, Francis became an assistant trainer before receiving his own licence to train in 1996/97. While GOLDEN SIXTY’s 10 Group 1 triumphs dominate Francis’ resume, he has also enjoyed success with several other horses, notably LUCKY BUBBLES, LUCKY PATCH and GLORIOUS DRAGON.
His career path has been charactised by a relentless search for improvement and excellence and, ultimately, he has become an unqualified success and I congratulate Francis on all of his achievements and wish him the best for the future.
Success in the international arena is the pinnacle of any sport and horse racing is no exception. RUSSIAN EMPEROR performed honestly with his fifth placing to Godolphin’s Breeders’ Cup Turf winner REBEL’S ROMANCE in the G3 H.H. The Amir Trophy (2400m) in Qatar on Saturday night, but found the task of coming from the tail of the field off a slow tempo too much.
In a race controlled from the front by William Buick on REBEL’S ROMANCE, RUSSIAN EMPEROR did well to make up ground in the home straight to finish about five lengths from the winner, just behind the Japanese trio of ZEFFIRO, who was extremely wayward over the last 400m, SATONO GLANZ and NORTH BRIDGE.
At Sha Tin on Sunday, the feature race is the TVB Cup over 1400m, which is carded as Race 8 at 4.40pm for Class 2 horses rated 95-75 and carries prizemoney of HK$2,840,000.
The pace in the race will be good with DROMBEG BANNER able to hold the front from his rails draw. KEEFY will go forward from a wide gate, with SUPERB BOY and GOOD LUCK FRIEND in the leading group from their respective draws. GUMMY GUMMY should also settle near the speed.
DROMBEG BANNER had to work hard to take up the running from FLAMING RABBIT at his last start behind MUGEN on 21 January and the hard run took its toll and he faded in the last 100m. DROMBEG BANNER had won his three previous runs over this course and distance and should get a much softer lead from his gate one. Andrea Atzeni is a very effective rider from the front and DROMBEG BANNER is a place chance.
SUPERB BOY is racing well and has a good record at the course and distance. He was narrowly beaten by BLUE MARLIN two starts ago and then settled behind the leading group and sprinted quickly to take the lead at the 200m, ultimately having no answer for MUGEN in the concluding stages, on 21 January. SUPERB BOY has had some time at Conghua since that run and from gate four should get a perfect run under Alexis Badel and is a win and place chance.
GLOBAL HARMONY was impressive winning on 1 January under an inspired ride by James McDonald. He settled at the back of the field before coming across heels and sprinting brilliantly down the outside to beat SWEET ENCOUNTER who was a subsequent winner. At his next start GLOBAL HARMONY stood in the gates and took no part in the race. GLOBAL HARMONY has since trialled well for Zac Purton and is a place chance.
GUMMY GUMMY has had two runs this season and was excellent in defeat behind GALAXY PATCH and then switched to the All Weather Track when second to BUNDLE OF CHARM on 4 February. GUMMY GUMMY extends beyond 1200m but is racing well and is a place chance.
This is a competitive field and horses like ATULLIBIGEAL and ALACRITY are racing well and also deserve consideration when assessing the chances in the race.
With just over five weeks to the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 24 March, anticipation and excitement are building as we forge deeper into the Classic season.
While much is still to unfold – not least the running of the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on 3 March – Sunday’s (18 February) card holds several runners of interest ahead of the Derby, particularly Class 3 TVB Miss Hong Kong Pageant Handicap (1800m), which is carded as Race 9 at Sha Tin at 5.15pm.
Five horses in the race – SIMPLY MAVERICK, MOMENTS IN TIME, SIMPLE HEDGE, DEVILDOM and ENIGMA – are all entered for the BMW Hong Kong Derby and their performances this weekend will be pivotal.
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