Money Man ready for the task
Trainer Caspar Fownes has Money Man headed towards the Juvenile Championship next Saturday and the Redoute's Choice gelding staked his claim impressively under barrier trial conditions at Sha Tin yesterday.
The two-year-old, who has raced three times for a win and two seconds, was fitted with blinkers and the added concentration of the vision-reducing equipment had the intended effect, with Money Man careering away to win the trial by four lengths.
Shane Dye, who has been doing quite a bit of riding for the Fownes stable in the latter part of the season, kept Money Man well on the bridle in the final 200 metres and the margin could have been significantly larger had Dye wanted.
Money Man has not raced since April 1 when second to Butterfield in a griffin race over 1,200m. The juvenile was joint leader early but because of the very fast pace, jockey Brett Prebble elected to ease and take a trail behind Inspiration and Winning Fellowship.
Prebble pulled around the leaders in the straight, hit the front before the 200m but then succumbed to the strong late finish of the staying-bred Butterfield.
Money Man is not a big horse - he weighed in at only 1,004 pounds at his last start - but he appears to have put on condition during his lay-off and looked significantly stronger at the business end of this trial.
Money Man's winning time of 1:12.3 was 0.8 seconds slower than Stable Mail took to win the first of the morning's two heats, but the two-year-old's final 400m of 23.9 seconds was 0.5 seconds quicker.
Stablemate Present Treasure, handled by Fownes' apprentice Jacky Tong Chi-kit, finished second after following Money Man throughout. The Hunza Court gelding is in a difficult spot in the ratings - 58, five pounds more than his rating when he last won over 1,650m at Happy Valley in Class Four.
Powerkie (Weichong Marwing) went reasonably for third, a head behind Present Treasure. The well-bred Dehere gelding is a southern-hemisphere two-year-old who has raced only once, failing badly behind Hong Kong Lad and Inspiration on April 15 when with trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fie. Powerkie is now with Sean Woods' stable. The opening heat was contested by a small field of five but three horses went across the line together with Stable Mail, the widest of the three, prevailing by a head.
Stable Mail, an all-weather track specialist, was ridden by apprentice Tong, even though usual race rider Felix Coetzee was originally down to take the mount. The Danehill gelding always looked likely to win the heat but made life difficult for Tong by laying in on top of Splendid Sails (Dwayne Dunn) in the concluding stages.
Stable Mail hasn't raced since May 3 when second to Floral Pegasus over 1,650m on the artificial surface, on ground classified as wet-fast. His last win was a thumping victory over subsequent Premier grade winner Beethoven, also on the AWT, on March 4.
Runner-up Jade China, an unraced three-year-old and therefore on a 52 rating, did a good job against the higher grade galloper Stable Mail, bearing in mind the 32-point differential in the ratings.
Jade China, a member of the Andy Leung Ting-wah team, began from barrier one and held the rails throughout. The chestnut son of Jade Robbery kept on nicely in the final stages without being properly squeezed by jockey Rodney Quinn.
Splendid Sails also maintained the gallop for third, a mere short head behind Jade China, and this too was a useful piece of work.
HORSES TO FOLLOW: Money Man, Jade China.
