Wong in hot water
Local rider Terry Wong Chi-wai picked up a rare and expensive double on third-placed Lohan in the fifth event - attracting a careless-riding penalty for his efforts as well as a more unusual fine for dropping a lead weight.
A track attendant had found the 0.5 pound lead weight on the track just prior to the winning post soon after the race was completed and stewards quickly established that it had fallen from Wong's mount.
While the loss of the weight did not result in Wong coming back with less than the allowable weight on Lohan, stewards charged him with having failed to properly secure the lead weight as required under the rules.
Wong was fined $15,000.
The careless riding was more standard but as expensive - three days' suspension and HK$10,000 fine for shifting in on Happy Heroes at the 200m mark and causing him to check. Wong begins his ban after the Sha Tin meeting on June 8.
Howard Cheng Yue-tin's record on champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom may well remain unbeaten with trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fie confirming South African jockey Weichong Marwing would return next term as his stable-retained rider.
Marwing, well accomplished in the biggest races during his time here riding primarily for Ivan Allan, will doubtless take over the reins on the world's top sprinter - a position he has occupied previously aboard Fairy King Prawn several years ago.
The vagaries of the Hong Kong system went to work as Syllabus scored a long priced but far from upset victory in the Super Win Handicap on the all-weather track under Glen Boss.
The David Ferraris-trained seven-year-old had been moderate in his two previous runs on the surface when he was just starting his career but there was some positives to take from his all-weather barrier trial showings.
'I got real encouragement when I looked at his record and saw that every time he ever trialled on the dirt, he seemed to have won the trial,' said Boss. 'But because he's been quite highly rated for a while, he hasn't been eligible for any dirt races. Dropping back from the Group races today, David was fairly confident the horse could run.'
Alas, the problem with this victory will be that Syllabus will again go back over the 100 rating and out of the range of dirt racing.
Most riders left the track feeling the heat and humidity but Darren Beadman certainly knew he'd been around after returning after a month off with a riding ban.
'If you have a week or two, you notice it, but it's a month since I rode in races and then 10 rides in these conditions and I'm really feeling it,' Beadman said.
Though beaten on Champions & Chater favourite Viva Pataca, the day wasn't a complete wipeout for the Australian as Willing Storm managed to reward those who stuck with him at relatively short odds again.
'He's professional, doesn't use himself any more than he has to - with his character and manners he will be winning more races.'
