Corrales Racing Away With Fifth Title
Luis Corrales widened the gap on his rivals in the Macau Jockeys’ Premiership with another treble on Saturday’s race card, and a fifth Macau Jockeys Title appears just a foregone conclusion.
Corrales, who was on fire in the month of May kicking home 15 winners and 12 placings from his 39 rides, has now ridden seven winners and seven placings from his 21 rides for June.
After last Saturday, Panamanian-born Corrales leads the rider’s standings with 47 winners, 17 ahead of local rider Roger Yu on 30, with Brazilian Fausto Henrique in third spot on 28, and Frenchman J B Hamel in fourth on 26.
The day started early for Corrales with a win on the Nick Moore-prepared Hostwin Euphoria (Street Boss) in the Class 4 over 1350 metres.
Hostwin Euphoria, a three-year-old son of Street Boss (Street Cry), made it win number two in Macau and proved his versatility in being able to handle both turf and sand. The win continued the wonderful start to Moore’s training career, giving him his 11th win for the season, with an additional 11 placings, from only 46 runners to date.
Moore, who is in his first season as trainer only had his first runners in December, and has quickly established the best strike-rate of any trainer in Macau with stats of a 24 per cent win- rate, and a 48 per cent place strike. Hostwin Euphoria was his only runner on Saturday.
Fantastic Friends (Denman) secured himself a Derby (1800m) berth when he finished strongly from the back of the field to win the Four-Year-Old Handicap over 1800 metres. The victory automatically afforded him a Derby start and gave Corrales his second win of the day.
Prepared by Stanley Chin, Fantastic Friends made it win number four in Macau and whilst not the strongest Derby contender highlighted his liking for the 1800 metre course. His record now reads one win and two placings, with his only unplaced effort at the distance a fourth when only beaten one a half lengths.
Japanese import Eclair Hunter (Novellist) rounded out Corrales’s day when he appreciated getting back on top of the ground with a good win in the Class 2 & 3 over 1800 metres.
The Geoff Allendorf-trained five-year-old had failed to handle the very heavy conditions at his previous start when sent out an equal favorite over 1500 metres. Saturday’s good track and a perfect ride by Corrales provided the turnaround in form with the victory his third in the enclave. Prior to being imported to Macau the gelding had won a two-year-old maiden over 1800 metres at Nakayama in Japan.
With only 13 race days left before the end of the season, Corrales is looking a “lay down misere” to secure his fifth title. If by some quirk of fate Corrales went winless to the end of the season, Roger Yu would need nothing short of a miracle to win the 18 races to get by him on his current strike-rate. Corrales has won four Macau Senior Jockeys’ Titles and was twice Champion Apprentice in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
Kelowna Star (Sufficient) bounced back to winning form with a strong performance in the Class 1 & 2 Handicap over 1500 metres under Peter Ho.
Prepared by leading trainer Tony Fung, the former Macau Guineas (1500m) winner of 2016 was allowed to settle at the tail of the field in a race run at good speed. In a typical patient Peter Ho ride, Kelowna Star was still last coming to the corner before peeling wide at the top of the straight.
The eight-year-old son of Sufficient (Zabeel) produced a brilliant turn of foot over the last 200 metres to beat Luen On Dance Kid (Snitzel), in a great four-way finish with the dead-heaters Pearl Green (Fastnet Rock) and Bring Me Speed (Sebring) in third.
After the weekend Tony Fung has what appears to be an unbeatable lead in the Trainer’s Premiership with 38 wins, 12 clear of Danny Wong and Geoff Allendorf who are both on 26 victories.