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Rambo's Taipa jaunt pays off

Robin Parke

HARD-working local ace Rambo Tse Wai-ho made his quick trip across the Pearl River Estuary worthwhile yesterday, grabbing a Hong Kong pre-season winner as the Macau Jockey Club's new term began at Taipa.

Tse, who has worked overtime in carving out a worthwhile career for himself locally, had multiple former Hong Kong champion jockey Gary Moore behind him in second place when he won handsomely on bottomweight Gold Champion (3-1) in the 1,200-metre fourth event.

The Taipa fans, as they did on several other occasions during the course of the nine-event meeting, sent Moore off favourite on Roman King (5-2) but he was three lengths adrift of Gold Champion at the line. Tse said: 'I had two rides and I am happy to have won with one of them. I think it is good for me to be able to get some rides over here when I am preparing for the Hong Kong season.

'It is not easy for jockeys like me to ride abroad during the off season in Hong Kong so it is good for my fitness to come to Taipa and ride occasionally.' Moore and father George drew a blank but it was a day to remember for one-time Hong Kong rider Louis K. S. Ho, a former champion jockey of Macau. Popular Ho had his first runner as a trainer - and won with bottomweight Chung Shan Po, who was a 30-1 outsider in the second race.

It was a result that stunned punters, but it was a landmark winner for Ho who looks certain to eventually have a major stable in Macau.

Another former Hong Kong jockey, Henry Lee Hon-ming, has made his mark as a Taipa trainer over the past three seasons and he celebrated opening day with a meritorious double, taking the first and final races on the programme. There was a first day crowd of 6,213 and totalisator turnover was $24.6 million.

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