RESULTS: DEC 7 LONGINES INTERNATIONAL JOCKEYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
1st Leg | 2nd Leg | 3rd Leg | 4th Leg | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jockey | Card | Placing | Score | Card | Placing | Score | Card | Placing | Score | Card | Placing | Score | Total Score | |
1 | Hugh Bowman | 4 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 18 |
2 | Ryan Moore | 5 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 3(DH) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 14 |
3 DH | Mirco Demuro | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 12 |
3 DH | Keita Tosaki | 6 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 12 |
5 | Douglas Whyte | 10 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
6 | Florent Geroux | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 3(DH) | 2 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
7 | Zac Purton | 8 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
8 DH | Joao Moreira | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
8 DH | Pat Smullen | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
10 | Mickael Barzalona | 11 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
11 DH | Gavin Lerena | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 4 | - | - | 0 |
11 DH | Derek Leung | 12 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
Bowman Wins Hong Kong Jockey Championship
Australian Hugh Bowman won the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship Dec. 7 at Happy Valley in Hong Kong as the sole American-based contestant, Florent Geroux, finished off the board.
Bowman won the first leg of the four-race competition and finished second in the third leg—good for 18 points. England’s Ryan Moore, who on Friday will be honored as the Longines World’s Best Jockey on the basis on 12 months’ work, finished second with 14 points after winning the second race in the competition.
Mirco Demuro, representing Italy, and Japan’s Keita Tosaki won the third and fourth races and finished tied for third with 12 points apiece.
Geroux finished second in the first leg of the series. He was assigned by random draw the heavy favorite in the third leg, Works of Art. That mount, however, came wide around the final turn over the quirky Happy Valley track and, despite a late run, could only muster a dead heat for third, giving Geroux a total of 8 points, good for a tie for fifth place.
Bowman, a three-time champion jockey in Sydney, has ridden 51 group I winners, including most of Australia’s top races. His initial reaction appeared to be relief rather than excitement at his victory.
“I thought in the last either I had to beat Ryan (Moore) or we both had to score no points, and he was on the even-money favourite. In the run I was supremely confident that my horse could run a place, but he didn’t let down, and I must admit on the line I thought Ryan had run third, so it was an anxious few moments, but we got the victory.
“I came here quietly confident I could figure, because I had significantly enough rides to score enough points, but you need luck in running.”
Horses were assigned by blind draw with the pot split HK$500,000 (US$64,000) to the winner, HK$200,000 (US$26,000) for second and HK$100,000 (US$13,000) for third.
Total attendance for Wednesday’s banner event at Happy Valley was 29,601, the highest in the event’s history since 1999. Turnover for the day eclipsed HK$1.238 billion, the second highest for an International Jockeys’ Championship day.
Racing resumes in Hong Kong on Dec. 11 when Sha Tin Racecourse hosts the HK$83 million ($1.3 million) seasonal showpiece, the Longines Hong Kong International Races.
Happy Wednesday at Happy Valley is everything British racing is not
PICTURE: Hugh Routledge
Future champion jockey? The 15-year-old prodigy
WEDNESDAY evenings are known as Happy Wednesdays in this part of the world and with good reason – it is impossible not to leave Happy Valley grinning from ear to ear.
It is everything British racing is not. It is accessable, in the heart of the city and a very short walk from the heaving Wan Chai area. It cost HK$10 to get in. That’s one of your pounds and two of your pennies. It’s heaving, there were 29,601 for the International Jockeys’ Challenge card – the highest for the meeting since 1999.
Below-average horses – four of the nine races were for horses rated 60 to 40 – raced for bucketloads of cash. The 40 to 15 1,650m handicap was worth HK$630,000 (£64,026.72). And was fun. So much fun.
The band came on between races to play singalong covers not that well, fireworks went off for the start of the IJC while horses paraded metres away, it took less than 30 seconds to acquire a receipt for a beer and then redeem said receipt in an exchange that mirrors that of a drug buy in The Wire – food queues were slightly longer.
Despite all of the attractions the locals’ noses could not be tempted out of the formbook and consequently everyone punted like lunatics, with a turnover of HK$1.238 billion (£126,712,047.09) ensuring a riotous atmosphere and a cacophony of noise every time a race was run. You simply must experience it for yourself.
Growl gets unlucky
Sprint hope Growl has this season come on almost as much as the 5,899 miles he has travelled from Richard Fahey’s base in North Yorkshire to Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong, which would make his draw in stall 12 a sizeable kick in the dangly bits – if he had any.
“There’s no point moaning but it’s not ideal,” was Fahey’s matter of fact reaction to the draw, before he dreamed up an entire parallel universe in which it could turn out to be a positive. “We’d have been dropping in anyway so we’ll just have to hope they all try and kill each other for the fence and we can try and pick up the pieces. We do have the US horse alongside us, so hopefully he can take us into the race.”
To say Growl worked on Thursday would be overegging things heavily. Horses have been known to do more on parade. “We didn’t do too much there,” laughed Fahey afterwards. “He just had a light canter which was grand. We just need to keep him eating and drinking, that’s what’s important.
“He’s got to step up on Sunday but he’s come a long way this year. The draw looks like it could be crucial. We wouldn’t have come unless we thought we could pick something up but a lifetime best could see him finish third or fourth and we’d settle for that just now.”
Future champion jockey
When Campbell Rawiller speaks, they listen. Several top jockeys – his father, Group 1 legend Nash, and former champion Australian apprentice-turned-Group 1-jockey Sam Clipperton among them – believe not many have a firmer understanding of the Hong Kong formbook than the 15-year-old who gave himself the morning off school to watch the horses work on Thursday.
He dreams of one day riding in races. Clipperton, who touchingly says Rawiller has become his best friend since he moved here this year, has seen him ride and supportively suggests he’s a future champion jockey in waiting. You read it here first!
So given all the many international Group 1 winners on show on Sunday, and the young Rawiller’s impeccable knowledge of the formbook, it might interest you to know the horse he is most looking forward to seeing runs on the undercard – in the 1,600m Eishin Preston Handicap (race ten – 5.50pm local time).
The horse in question is local sensation Pakistan Star and you can read an interview with his rider Matthew Chadwick on the pressures surrounding the ride in Friday’s Racing Post.
HAPPY VALLEY (HK) |
GOING: TURF: GOOD TO FIRM.
10:30 - South Africa Handicap (Class 5) (3yo+) (Turf)1m, £31,444.83 1 Dutch Windmill 57/10 NR: Able Talent (NZ) 12 ran Distances: 1½l, 1¼l, ¾l Jockey: Olivier Doleuze PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 66.50 |
11:00 - Brazil Handicap (Class 3) (3yo+) (Turf)5f, £61,641.86 1 Almababy 54/10 NR: Beauty Connection, Super Leader (NZ) 12 ran Distances: 1¼l, nk, ½l Jockey: C Y Ho PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 64.00 |
11:30 - England Handicap (Class 3) (3yo+) (Turf)6f, £61,641.86 1 Love Shock 29/20F NR: Go Baby Go (AUS), Tang Fleming 12 ran Distances: 1l, nk, 1½l Jockey: Joao Moreira PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 24.50 |
12:10 - Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (Handicap) – 1st Leg (Class 4) (3yo+) (Turf)5f, £50,311.73 1 Premiere 49/20 NR: Buddy Bundy (AUS), Isaac (AUS) 12 ran Distances: 1½l, ½l, ½l Jockey: Hugh Bowman PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 34.50 |
12:40 - Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (Handicap) – 2nd Leg (Class 4) (3yo+) (Turf)1m, £50,311.73 1 Giant Turtle 33/20F NR: Happy Beauty (NZ), Victory Master (IRE) 12 ran Distances: 1¾l, ½l, ½l Jockey: Ryan Moore PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 26.50 |
1:10 - France Handicap (Class 4) (3yo+) (Turf)6f, £41,926.44 1 Wonderful Fighter 19/20F NR: Arm Runda (IRE), Robust Momentum (AUS), World City (NZ) 11 ran Distances: 1¾l, shd, nk Jockey: Joao Moreira PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 19.50 |
1:40 - Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (Handicap) – 3rd Leg (Class 4) (3yo+) (Turf)1m, £50,311.73 1 Mutual Joy 41/5 NR: Agiaal (USA), King’s Man (NZ) 12 ran Distances: shd, dht, 1¾l Jockey: Mirco Demuro PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 91.50 |
2:10 - Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (Handicap) – 4th Leg (Class 3) (3yo+) (Turf)1m, £73,970.23 1 Big Bang Bong 28/1 NR: Happy Spirit (AUS), Nitro Express (AUS), Sensation (AUS) 11 ran Distances: ¾l, ¾l, shd Jockey: Keita Tosaki PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 291.50 |
2:50 - Australia Handicap (Class 2) (3yo+) (Turf)1m1f, £87,346.76 1 Supreme Profit 33/1 NR: Magical Beauty (AUS), Packing Llaregyb (IRE) 12 ran Distances: hd, shd, shd Jockey: Silvestre De Sousa PARI-MUTUEL (all including 10 hkd stake): WIN 335.50 |
fonte : RacingPost
Hong Kong: Hugh Bowman campione tra i fantini, Demuro fa una delle sue magie ad Happy Valley. Domenica a Sha Tin le International Races, ecco i campi completi