By Leo Schlink
A start for Beauty Waves in the HK$22 million G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on 27 April will hinge on the gelding’s performance in the HK$2.84 million Class 2 Kowloon Bay Handicap (1200m, dirt) at Sha Tin this Sunday (20 April).
Selected to face the world’s top-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising, last season’s Chairman’s Sprint Prize winner Invincible Sage, Lucky Sweynesse, Victor The Winner, Helios Express as well as Japan’s Satono Reve, Lugal, Danon McKinley and A Shin Fencer, among others, in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, Beauty Waves needs to run well this Sunday to take his place in the field.
“We will decide after this Sunday. Let’s see how he (Beauty Waves) goes this Sunday first. It’s more like a trial run for him, so we’ll need to see how he goes,” Ng said. “We will try to get him to jump and relax and hopefully he can learn to finish off the race well.”
A last-start seventh behind Ka Ying Rising in the HK$13 million G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) on 19 January, Beauty Waves won the HK$4.2 million G3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin on 1 October.
Drawn in barrier seven for jockey Alexis Badel, Beauty Waves (133lb) will meet fellow Chairman’s Sprint Prize entrant Copartner Prance (135lb) this weekend.
A four-time winner in Hong Kong, with three of those triumphs coming over 1000m, the Starspangledbanner gelding is untried on dirt at Sha Tin but won on Polytrack in Ireland in 2022, when he raced as Starspangledwaves for Patrick Flynn.
Bearing down on riding 100 wins or more for the ninth consecutive season, Zac Purton hopes John Size’s progressive Bundle Award can returning to winning form in the Class 2 Hong Kong Lions Cup Handicap (1800m).
Seventh in the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) behind Cap Ferrat on 23 March, Bundle Award (121lb) clashes this weekend with Five G Patch (135lb), Helene Feeling (135lb), La City Blanche (135lb), Voyage Samurai (127lb), Winning Dragon (125lb), C P Brave (122lb), Steps Ahead (118lb), Bravehearts (117lb), Californiatotality (116lb) and Pray For Mir (115lb).
Leading the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship with 92 wins ahead of Hugh Bowman (56), Purton will have his first ride on Bundle Award, who posted an emphatic victory over 1800m at Sha Tin on 9 March.
“Obviously he won well two starts back over the track and distance,” Purton said. “He ran a nice race in the Derby, he gets in well into this race with a light weight and he’s drawn well (barrier three), so he’ll be a chance.”
Purton takes nine rides this weekend, including Frankie Lor’s consistent Bottomuptogether in the Kowloon Bay Handicap.
Sunday’s (20 April) 10-race card at Sha Tin starts with the Class 5 Luk Wu Handicap (1650m, dirt) at 12.45pm.