THE days when Hong Kong's women claimers were little more than racebook adornments are gone and tidy young Win Chung Lai-fong gave an impeccable display on Flying Tiger (12-1) to outride her maximum allowance at Sha Tin yesterday.
Chung has improved out of sight in 10 months and celebrated winning the Apprentice of the Month Award by going out and landing the third event on the card in emphatic style. Flying Tiger is a tricky customer but, as is the case with a number of horses, tends to be on his best behaviour with a woman aboard. At his previous start Flying Tiger was ridden by Irish ace Mick Kinane who recalled: 'We were put in last as always, but something played up and came out the back, delaying the start. Flying Tiger just boiled over and then we were knocked about a couple of times in the run.' Trainer David Oughton, who deserves a lot of credit for his adept tutoring of Chung, had no hesitation putting her on in this 1,400-metre race - a distance at which the Irish import might have been considered just a shade doubtful. In a dramatic race that saw Chung's weighing-room colleague, Sherie Kong Pik-wing, take a bad fall from Strike A Fortune, Flying Tiger responded admirably to run out a never-in-doubt two-and-a-half lengths winner. Oughton said: 'I have made the point before that Win is a real asset to the stable and she has shown that again today.
She does not get flustered and horses run along for her. 'It has been a memorable day for her as she won the award for her ride on Eighteen Twelve and now has outridden her 10-pound claim. But she will be value for the seven pounds, too.' In the local riders' race, Flying Tiger was always travelling well for Chung and any doubts about seeing out the distance were instantly dispelled when she sent him clear about 300 metres out. Flying Tiger found plenty in the run home and won handily from in-form Think Tank (16-1) with race favourite Gagne Vite (4-1) a head away in third place.
Bottomweight Grand Way (9-2) ran a fair fourth, but trainer Brian Kan Ping-chee is having trouble finding a race for him. Greg Childs had a flying start to the season, but winners had dried up a little recently. That was put right in dramatic fashion in the fifth event when 76-1 shot Super Gain produced the surprise of the meeting when accounting for Esteemed (15-1), Shining Star (20-1) and topweight Amazing Grace (20-1) in a blanket finish to the Class Four, 1,600-metre event.
Super Gain chimed in down the extreme outside after Dancing Win (5-1) had taken over about 200 metres out, but there were challengers coming from everywhere. Super Gain got up in the last bound with Esteemed continuing his good form for David Hayes.
