Murray ends HK drought
SA JOCKEY COMES FROM LAST TO GIVE MILLARD HIS FIRST OF THREE WINS
Karis Teetan takes the honours with five winners at Sha Tin meeting.
It has taken a while but Callan Murray finally got off the mark at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong yesterday when he won the opening race aboard Top Ace for trainer Tony Millard.
Murray had to deal with No 12 draw in this 1800m event and in the end chose to drop his mount to the back of the field. With 800m to run he started to make up ground on the outside and by the time he hit the turn he was racing four horses wide but he did have cover.
Once in the straight Murray let his mount go and it was clear 300m from home Top Ace had loads of gas in tank as he raced past his opposition to win by 1.75 lengths on the seven-year-old.
Murray has taken a while to find form but he did have to deal with a suspension he received at his first meeting in Hong Kong.
“It’s just a relief. Every winner is nice but my last winner was actually in June, since before my hip surgery, so it’s been frustrating and this will give me the confidence I needed,” Murray said.
Murray returned to Hong Kong in August with a view to securing a long-term contract. But his early season hopes took a knock when he picked up a two-meeting suspension in September.
“The suspension was the most frustrating but these things happen, I was patient enough and I think it’s made me a better person,” he said on the Hong Kong Jockey Club website.
Like Murray, Top Ace was also opening his Hong Kong account, as he had been unsuccessful in 31 previous local starts dating back to 2014-15. Despite that he returned a relatively modest R8.10 for a tote win.
But the day belonged to Karis Teetan who topped the win count at Sha Tin with a fine five-timer that included not only Pakistan Friend’s short-priced score in the Chinese Recreation Club Challenge Cup Handicap (1600m) but also a victory snagged in the stewards’ room.
The Cup success was achieved with new ally Tony Cruz but two of the Mauritian’s tally – including the stewards’ intervention – came in tandem with long-time supporter Tony Millard, who continued his fine start to the campaign with a treble.
“These days don’t always happen but I had a good book of rides today,” Teetan said after the Frankie Lor-trained Morethanlucky sealed the quintet in the afternoon’s final race, the Class 2 Yew Handicap over 1400m.
Teetan ended the day with 11 wins for the term, three behind champion jockey Zac Purton, but played down talk of a title challenge.
“It’s still very early in the season. Zac is pretty good and it’s difficult to go past him,” he said. “I don’t want to say too much and get a big head but Joao (Moreira) is not here now so there are a few opportunities out there. I’m not going to think that big at this stage.”
In other international news, Whisky Baron finished last in a nine-horse field in the Group 2 Qatar Prix Dollar at Longchamp in Paris on Saturday.
The 2016 Sun Met winner, now trained in England by William Haggas, started at 12-1 and never looked in contention.
Alignement, a 22-1 outsider landed the spoils in the 2000m contest, from 2-1 shot Loxley and 10-1 chance Fabricate.
Whisky Baron’s rider Andrea Atzeni held up the Aussie-bred from the start, but he failed to quicken when asked about 400m out and soon looked beaten.
The 19-10 favourite Knight To Behold, saddled by UK trainer Harry Dunlop and ridden by Oisin Murphy, was also a big disappointment, finishing secondlast.