Richard Kingscote lands Sha Tin treble in spectacular fashion
Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f)-winning jockey Richard Kingscote snared riding honours at Sha Tin’s all-dirt meeting on Wednesday night with a treble, finding success with a perfect three wins from three rides.
Having gone winless in 31 previous mounts in Hong Kong, Kingscote struck in spectacular style by scoring on Chill Kaka (Shooting To Win) in the second section of the Class 4 Peacock Handicap (1650m) and Rising Force (Deep Field) in the first section of the Class 4 Kestrel Handicap (1200m) for Ricky Yiu, while also partnering with David Eustace to win the first section of the Class 4 Peacock Handicap (1650m) with Fashion Legend (Deep Field).
Underlining the prowess on all-weather surfaces which landed him the British All-Weather Champion Jockey title in 2020/21, Kingscote extracted maximum return from three opportunities.
“It’s a big result. Obviously, time was running out to ride some winners,” said Kingscote, who finishes his short-term stint in the city on April 2. “But luckily, I have and thanks to the connections who put me on. I’ve been lucky with draws tonight and horses that are capable, so I think it was a big help.”
Kingscote, 38, had ridden successfully in Australia, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, France, Bahrain and Turkey before impacting tonight.
“Things have been building with a bit of momentum and the support of some trainers, it’s been great,” he said. “I’ve had some horses running well but not quite able to get there.”
Kingscote, who won the 2022 Epsom Derby on Desert Crown (Nathaniel) for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, described Hong Kong racing as “very competitive but I’ve really enjoyed it. Hopefully they’ll let me come back.”
Tony Cruz Award winner Angus Chung slotted a double with a pair of brilliant rides, first scoring on the Tony Cruz-trained California Star (Starspangledbanner) in the second section of the Class 4 Kestrel Handicap (1200m) after weaving his way from the tail of the field to win decisively.
Demonstrating tactical versatility, Chung led all the way on veteran Telecom Fighters (The Brothers War) in the Class 3 Flamingo Handicap (1650m) from barrier 12, fending off Never Peter Out (Grunt) by a short-head as the gelding posted his eighth win in Hong Kong.
Imported to Hong Kong after three wins in 2019 and 2020 in Australia, where he raced as Mark Gee, the now eight-year-old Telecom Fighters has amassed HK$17.5 million (approx. AU$3.56 million) in prize-money from 59 starts.
Andrea Atzeni celebrated his 34th birthday with a double, winning the first section of the Class 5 Spoonbill Handicap (1200m) on Frankie Lor-trained Cheer For South (Deep Field) and the Class 3 Egret Handicap (1200m) on John Size’s Must Go (All Too Hard).
“It’s nice to win a race on my birthday,” the Italian said. “It was nice for him [Cheer For South] to put his head in front – he’s been threatening and just needed for things to go right.”
While Size (45 wins) stretched his lead to seven over David Hayes (38), Atzeni took his tally to 35 wins to claim third place in the jockeys’ championship from Brenton Avdulla (34) to sit behind only Zac Purton (84) and Hugh Bowman (50).
Yoda’s Choice (Good Journey) justified Pierre Ng’s patience with deserved success in the Class 5 Swan Handicap (1800m) under Luke Ferraris to end a frustrating run of minor placings this season.
“He’s been running consistently, Yoda’s Choice, he’s just been unlucky in running four seconds this season and now he breaks the maiden. Hopefully he can carry on with the light weight in Class 4 and perform more,” Ng said.
The Cody Mo-trained Yeah Buddy (Hallowed Crown) also scored his first Hong Kong victory with jockey Derek Leung, winning the second section of the Class 5 Spoonbill Handicap (1200m).
Hong Kong racing continues on Sunday at Sha Tin with the running of the Sprint Cup (Gr 2, 1200m) and Chairman’s Trophy (Gr 2, 1600m).