Joao Moreira continues remarkable season with Sha Tin treble as Francis Lui excels with a three-timer

Joao Moreira is set to surpass the 150-win mark for the third time in Hong Kong, following a treble at Sha Tin on Saturday as part of his persistent pursuit of a fourth jockeys' championship (26 June).

Moreira, the holder of the most wins in a Hong Kong season following a spectacular performance of continuous excellence in 2016/17 that yielded 170 triumphs, surpassing his 2015/16 record of 168, has posted 14 victories in June alone.
Lui, who was defeated 63-67 by Ricky Yiu in last season's final, now has 60 victories for the season after Fox Cheunger, Super Fast, and Highly Proactive also won.

“I simply want to win as many races as I can,” said Lui, who currently trails only Caspar Fownes (75), John Size (69), and Frankie Lor (69). (64).

Highly Proactive's victory in the Class 2 Lai Pek Shan Handicap (1200m) gave Jack Wong his third win in the season.

“It means a lot to me personally. The trainer has been a big help to me; he has given me horses with strong prospects, which I much appreciate. So I'm just going to keep my head down and keep working,” Wong explained.

Ima Single Man followed up his victory in the G2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) at Ascot Racecourse in Perth in April 2020 with a victory in the Class 3 Mount Cameron Handicap (1200m) for Tony Cruz and Neil Callan.

Callan roused the Gingerbread Man horse out of the ruck, and he easily defeated When You Believe and favorite Drops Of God, highlighting the excellence of a luckless fourth in his previous appearance.
“It was a good win, but he still makes a lot of mistakes,” Callan remarked. “He's still figuring things out. I believe he is still a work in progress, with room for mental growth.

“He should be able to continue after this season - if his mind turns on, he may be better. You'll have to take him race by race, but he has more in him.”

Moreira is optimistic Blaze Warrior can continue to rise through the ranks after the Sebring gelding won the Class 4 Sai Wan Shan Handicap for Size (1200m).
Moreira described the three-year-second old's consecutive victory as "as excellent as last time, if not better."

“He does everything straight-forward, and everything he does makes me think he's a terrific horse, and the greatest part is that he's still in the making. He can run further, and the future of this horse is difficult to forecast, but he won't be much worse than a high rating.”

David Hall, a son of Per Incanto, continued his excellent season with Victory Scholars, rallying under Zac Purton's urgings to win the Class 4 Shek Nga Shan Handicap (1400m), his maiden victory after three placings in four previous races.

“He definitely wasn't very remarkable today; he's a big elephant of a horse, a big dumbo - he simply doesn't know what his role is yet,” Hall explained. “I believe he has a little bit more to offer, but he just has to learn his art and how to be a competitive racehorse. He'll take some confidence from his victory, take a rest, and return next year.”

The Melbourne Cup winner's late-season dominance continued when Beluga won the Class 3 Mount Nicholson Handicap (1400m), bringing Hall's campaign record to 35, a total that includes four victories from his last eight runners.

“He's by Tavistock, and you'd assume they'd race 2000 metres, but he's out of a Written Tycoon mare, so he could have too much brilliance to stay, but we might try him again at the appropriate moment in the new season,” Hall said of the gelding's eligibility for shorter trips.

“Potentially, he's always looked like he could go to Class 2 and I think he will under the proper circumstances.”

Vincent Ho and Lui re-enacted a familiar winning partnership with Fox Cheunger, who won the Class 5 Shouson Hill Handicap (1400m). It was the pair's 24th joint victory of the season, with the majority of their victories coming with champion Golden Sixty.

While Golden Sixty reigns supreme in Hong Kong racing with 17 victories from 18 tries, Fox Cheunger won his third race in 35 attempts as he reveled in the yielding footing.

While Golden Sixty reigns supreme in Hong Kong racing with 17 victories from 18 tries, Fox Cheunger won his third race in 35 attempts as he reveled in the yielding footing.

Super Fast broke his maiden status in dramatic fashion, storming in by four lengths to win the Class 4 Sheung Yeung Shan Handicap (dirt, 1650m) after dominating practically the whole race.

“Nice jockey, good draw (barrier one), and you could see he was in better shape today,” Lui added. “It was a wonderful victory. We'll evaluate how he heals and then see if another race is available for him.”
Moreira's late-season winning streak continued as Frankie Lor's Superbella overcame covering distance to win the Class 3 Needle Hill Handicap (2000m).

“He had an injury when he first arrived in Hong Kong, but he is now fine,” Lor added. “He could run on the final day of the season, but I'll consult with Joao first before making a decision.”
True Legend, who won the Class 3 Nam Long Shan Handicap (dirt, 1650m) under Matthew Poon, completing Lor's hat trick.

Keith Yeung and Jimmy Ting teamed up with Lucky Victor to win the Class 5 Tung Wan Shan Handicap in drenching circumstances (dirt, 1650m). The Champions Gallery gelding has failed to place in his previous 13 efforts.
On Thursday, racing in Hong Kong resumes at Sha Tin (1 July).