STRUGGLING TING AIMING FOR WEEKEND WINNERS AT SHA TIN

Handler is hoping for a much-needed boost on Sunday with his pair of progressive gallopers

He admits it has been a tough season so far but Jimmy Ting Koon-ho is confident he can return to the Sha Tin winner’s enclosure on Sunday with a pair of progressive gallopers.

Ting has endured a testing 2023-24 campaign, collecting only four winners from 156 runners, and the 51-year-old says he is struggling to put his finger on the reason behind his poor run of form.

“I don’t really know,” Ting said. “It feels like we have always been getting bad draws. Maybe the horses are not good enough?”

After stints with David Hill, Michael Chang Chun-wai, Francis Lui Kin-wai and Danny Shum Chap-shing, Ting was granted his trainers’ licence for the 2018-19 season and opened his account at the first time of asking at Sha Tin’s season opener.

Ting fired in 38 wins in his first campaign as a trainer, 35 in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, 30 in 2021-22 and most recently 26 last season. While the amount of winners has been in gradual decline since his opening campaign, Ting began the season with a respectable strike rate of 8.1 per cent. Sitting on a win rate of only 2.6 per cent this term, Ting is hoping for a boost to his tally when he sends nearly a quarter of his stable of 28 horses to Sha Tin.

“Hopefully Sunday will be better,” Ting said. “It’s been a bit hard because we haven’t had many horses and they always need to come down a little bit in the ratings. I’m hoping for more winners at the end of the season.” Ting saddles six runners on the 11-race card, including arguably his most progressive speedster, The Absolute.

A winner on his second start under Luke Ferraris, The Absolute gave a good account of himself from stall 14 to finish second last time out under Andrea Atzeni.

The son of Satono Aladdin will need to defy stall 12 under Ferraris when he contests the Class Four Chaoyangmen Handicap (1,400m), but Ting is confident of a bold showing.

“He’s a nice horse and I think he’ll improve from his last run,” Ting said. “Last time he had just been gelded and I think he’s taken another step forward. He ran well last time. If he had a good draw I think he would’ve won. Hopefully he can get in a good position and come out in the straight on Sunday. I think he can win.”

The Absolute faces 13 rivals and his biggest dangers look to be the John Size-trained Top Scorer, who has knocked on the door on his three starts, and Call Me Supreme, who debuts under Hugh Bowman for trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai.

Ting also believes he has a solid chance in the Class Four Beijing Clubhouse Anniversary Cup (1,200m), with the lightly raced Glory Elite making his fourth start. Glory Elite took a step forward to grab third on his latest appearance over the straight course and jumps from barrier eight under Derek Leung Ka-chun.

“The first time he ran well and the second time he did a bit too much early,” Ting said. “Last time he sat a little bit and ran better. On Sunday, if he gets in a good position, I think he has a good chance.”