Warrior upends Champion’s

Red Warrior
Red Warrior charges wide to defeat stablemate Champion’s Way (obscured).

Champion’s Way (132lb) was a hot favourite to take his perfect winning record to six on the bounce in the finale, the Class 2 Sports For All Handicap (1600m). But trainer John Size’s classy three-year-old was topped by his fast-finishing stablemate Red Warrior under Chad Schofield.

“I still believe he’s a class horse, he’s still done very well,” jockey Joao Moreira said.

“There wasn’t a run on the inside, so I decided to come out, but then it didn’t open on the outside so I had to go back in. I wasn’t on heels, I was building up momentum so I just rolled him back to the inside and he got a beautiful run through, so I can’t complain about the run.”

Size was delighted with Red Warrior’s win but also pleased with Champion’s Way’s effort.

“I thought it was a fantastic effort, 132lb in Class 2 for a three-year-old is always a very good test, he just had to change course a little bit in the straight and he got behind one that wasn’t taking him into it. That might have cost him the win, so I think it was a fantastic effort, I’m really happy with him,” the 10-time champion trainer said.

Schofield positioned Red Warrior back in the field and unleashed a powerful run down centre track to win by a neck.

“It was a surprise,” Size said. “but the horse has been running very well. He’s in good form, obviously, otherwise he wouldn’t have won and his form going back to the Derby and afterwards has been first rate.”

The handler ended the day on 64 wins for the term, seven clear of Lor and eight ahead of Moore with 15 race meetings still to go.

“Seven – well if I can keep winning the races I’ve got a chance, because they’re going to keep coming,” Size said. “They have got plenty of ammo but I just have to keep trying. I’ve been here many times, I’ve been beaten a lot of times and I’ve also won a few.”

Ho, meanwhile, enjoyed a race-to-race double, in tandem with trainer David Hall. London Hall, the 2.7 favourite, edged a three-way finish to the Class 4 Boosting Innovative Power Handicap (1800m), while Gracious Ryder took the Class 4 C-For-Chinese@JC Handicap (1400m) at odds of 20/1.

Trainer Jimmy Ting has made a habit of winning the first race on a card and he teamed with Alfred Chan to take the opening Class 5 Diversity In Education Handicap (1200m). The apprentice made all on Richcity Fortune and had just enough in the tank to notch his fifth win since receiving his Hong Kong licence at the end of March.

Chan bagged his second career brace when Super Wise scooted to victory for trainer Manfred Man in the Class 3 Beyond Arts Appreciation Handicap (1400m).

High Volatility set the pace and then dug deep to repel the Purton-ridden Invincible Missile in the Class 3 Empowering Youth Handicap (1400m). The tough chestnut responded bravely to a power-packed Karis Teetan drive.

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