No worries for Qian Gua
New Zealand import Qian Gua (Cape Blanco) gave his connections nothing to worry about on Saturday’s firmer ground when making it back-to-back wins under Roger Yu in the Class 2 over 1800 metres.
Qian Gua is Mandarin for, “to worry about,” and connections must have had some concerns prior to the race about the confirmed mudlark measuring up to the rise in class and the firmer track.
There was no doubt mid-race their worst fears were looking all so true, when the six-year-old was tailed off a distant last in the small field of seven, and in fact lost more ground from the 900 to the 700-metre point.
Still a distant last on the home turn, Qian Gua unleashed an amazing finishing burst to storm right over the top of the dead-heaters Treasurelakebuddy (Snitzel), and the $1.5 race favorite Hostwin Epanoui (More Than Ready), taking victory by a neck.
Qian Gua was originally a $130,000 purchase at the 2016 NZB Ready to Run Bloodstock Sale, for Hon Shu Ping and the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry. The gelding won two of his first three runs, both at Matamata for co trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, and placed a further five times before his form tapered off.
Relocated to Macau, Qian Gua had his first run in the enclave in February last year, when he ran last beaten 16 lengths over 1050 metres on the sand. Second up the bay led throughout and donkey licked a good field of Class 2 gallopers over 1800 metres on a heavy track. He then repeated that two runs later with another massive eight-length win in Class 2, again at the 1800 metres on a very heavy track.
After finding himself a bit too highly rated and a lack of wet tracks, trainer K H Leong opted to try him on the sand with mixed results, before Qian Gua found another wet track last month where he easily scored his third victory over 1800 metres in Class 3.
In his 16 runs in New Zealand Qian Gua earned $25,475 in prize-money. His four-wins in Macau have raked in HK$838,000 (approx. AUD$137,740), and there is looks to be plenty more to come, with the gelding having found a new lease of life judging by Saturday’s performance.
Fully Realised (Fully Fledged) was another New Zealand import who scored on Saturday when he picked up his second victory in the enclave, with a good win in the second division of the Class 5 & 6 over 1200 metres under Japanese rider Masa Tanaka.
Prepared by Stephen Chow, Fully Realised had to wait 21 runs before he broke his maiden status at his most recent start on February 27. It’s full marks to owner Yeung Kam Wing for his perseverance with the six-year-old, and whilst it was only a lowly class race, the gelding not only won impressively, but ran faster time than the Class 3 & 4 won by Hostwin Achilles (Deep Field).
Nick Moore’s perseverance and patience paid off with Hostwin Achilles, who finally broke through for a nice win in the Class 3 & 4 over 1200 metres, to give Brazilian jockey Fausto Henrique a double for the afternoon.
Hostwin Achilles, the race favorite, enjoyed the run of the race before darting through on the inside of Roaring Fans (Nicconi) to go home strongly and win by a half a length, with Pursuing Eagle (Holy Roman Emperor) a neck away in third.
Hostwin Achilles is a very high-strung nervy type that at times has run his race before the gates open. Moore has been putting plenty of time into trying to get him to relax on raceday.
“It’s more about training his mind than his ability,” Moore said in a pre-race interview.
“He has been getting himself very anxious on raceday and it’s been affecting his performance. I’ve been spending a lot of time with him in the afternoons with long relaxing walks and in different surroundings, and it has helped him relax and settle into the place a lot better.
“I actually thought he was entitled to win better than he did, given the soft run he had, but at least it’s a start. I’ll try and stretch him up to 1500 metres with the Guineas in mind.”
Hostwin Achilles raced in Australia as Devan, where after being passed in at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $160,000 the gelding kicked off his career in the city with Team Snowden before being banished to the bush, where Gosford trainer Adam Duggan won two straight with him at Quirindi and Taree.
Peter Ho and Fausto Henrique shared riding honors for the afternoon with a double each.
Henrique won the first of the day for trainer Stanley Chin with Chak Chak (More Than Myfriend) who came with a mighty finishing burst to win the 45-0 special conditions handicap, and then picked up his second win later in the day on Hostwin Achilles.
Ho won the final two races on the card, including a victory on Sport General (Toronado), who get up in the last stride to break his maiden status after 12 starts in the first division of the Class 5 & 6 over 1200 metres.
The Patrick Lee-trained Ronson (Eurozone) was the second of Ho’s winners when he came right over the top of his rivals late to win the Class 4 over 1500 metres.
Ronson who initially looked very average in his first seven starts, has now won three races in the enclave, all with Ho in the saddle.