Charity Glory tops Million Challenge
Winning owner earns $110,000 from 6YO's high performance in challenge
Charity Glory was crowned the Hong Kong Airlines Million Challenge victor at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
"I told the owner at the start of the season that the plan with Charity Glory was to win the Million Challenge," said trainer Danny Shum, who won the competition two years ago with Speedy Longwah.
"You have to have a horse with a low enough rating and he was a horse that had shown me that he had potential."
Owners Ng Sun-wah and Chan Wo-ping took the HK$650,000 (S$110,000) winner's cheque, their six-year-old having accrued 49 points from two wins, two seconds, a third and a fourth at the city track since this term's challenge kicked off in September.
With none of the gelding's rivals for the top spot able to notch points on the nine-race card, Charity Glory's eighth in the night's penultimate contest was ultimately an irrelevance.
But the series winner was no match for the ascendant Ivictory in the Class 3 Blue Pool Handicap over 1,200m. Ivictory's performance was bursting with relevance.
Trainer John Size's four-year-old made it five wins from six starts in the 12-runner sprint, and he did so with ease.
"Very, very impressive - I didn't touch him - he won the race with plenty left," was jockey Joao Moreira's assessment after the Mossman gelding cruised to win by one-and-a-half lengths under a hold.
The 1.9 favourite brushed off a wide draw (gate 11) and a 133lb (60.45kg) impost to make it two from two this term.
"Every time he's raced, he's done something impressive," said Size. Even in his first race, over 1,000m, which is a tad short for him, he ran a fast final section to win the race. His first day at the races, he was something different and he's just made improvement ever since.
"He's very straightforward and he's got extra. He's got the speed to keep up with a 1,000m horse. He can throttle back off them - just what he showed us there, some of his artillery."
"I think we can take our time, he's only four. That win will take him nearly to the top of Class 2 now, so we'll just pick some races for him."
Meanwhile, Born In China let loose a dominant turn-of-foot to take the night's feature, the Class 1 Happy Valley Trophy Handicap over 1,200m.
With mizzle falling throughout, the Francis Lui-trained seven-year-old clearly relished the hint of moisture in the turf, drawing two-and-a-quarter lengths clear of his nine rivals.
"He's been a bit unlucky his last couple of runs," said jockey Douglas Whyte, after the 2.9 favourite had landed his fourth win over the course and distance.
"Today, when everything fell in place with the gate (three), it was just a matter of getting round smoothly and he let down like we know he can. With that moisture tonight, he lengthened that extra little bit.
"He's just a different horse now that Francis has fixed his leg problems. They gave him six months and they're reaping the rewards for their patience. He's a happy horse and he's not indicating that he's feeling his legs now." - HKJC`
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