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WITH another superb four-timer at Happy Valley yesterday, South African ace Robbie Fradd is seriously threatening to turn the jockeys' championship into something of a one-horse race.

 We haven't reached the millennium yet but Fradd has been so consistently on the mark - bearing in mind he was stood down for four days - that he is surely close to odds-on to take his first Hong Kong title.

 Fradd rattled off the first four winners at the rare day meeting at the city track with Rare (9-1), Look Who's Angel (3-1 favourite), Strong Win (8-1) and Happy Champ (3-1) all obliging.

 Happy Champ also continued the fine run of local trainer Gary Ng Ting-keung and captured the featured Po Leung Kuk Centenary Cup in the process.

 His juicy quartet apart, Fradd also finished second and third in two other races on the nine-event programme.

 Fradd has been getting on horses at exactly the right time and this was clearly demonstrated with Rare, providing a handy winner for Geoff Lane, and Happy Champ in the Cup race.

 This was a very good call from Fradd as he had ridden Flamenco Star in previous runs and the Francis Lui-trained four-year-old finished third to Happy Champ, beaten just over three lengths.

 Fradd takes his victories modestly but was understandably over the moon with yesterday's haul.

 'This was probably as good as it gets. I knew I had a good book of rides and I was quite keen on several of them but nothing is easy in this game and when you can ride four winners you also know that luck is on your side,' he said.

 'I have seen plenty of the other side of the coin, too, so this is very, very pleasant.

 'I have had great support and that has really made it all possible. It is not easy riding winners in Hong Kong because there are some very, very good jockeys about.

 'I was really happy with Look Who's Angel and Happy Champ and Rare won very well. But it is really far too early to talk about titles.'  Happy Champ, in the Classes One and Two feature event over 1,650 metres, was a thumping win in what looked, on paper, a fairly open race.

 The Valley track strongly favoured front-runners or those who could be right up on the pace throughout the afternoon.

 Happy Champ was always handy and he had the race won when he shot clear halfway down the straight, scoring most comfortably from the Basil Marcus-ridden Full Metal Jacket (7-1) who did everything right but was simply beaten on the day by a better horse.

 One man who will do everything possible to snare the title and deny Fradd is compatriot Douglas Whyte and he kept the leader firmly in his sights by taking the last two races on the card.

 Whyte is a fighter and he got the best out of Natural Winner (3-1 favourite) for former boss Tony Cruz, and then Valley freak Pinky Long Legs (8-1) for John Moore in the nightcap.

 Whyte took over on Natural Winner from suspended Felix Coetzee and made sure that the four-year-old was going to be in the finish by having him handy throughout in the 1,800-metre event.

 Cruz, who is joint leader with Ng in the trainers' table, had kept Natural Winner ticking over sweetly since a last-start second to Crowning Vigors here and this was a predictable and pleasing success.

 'He was spot on for the race, that was real key to it. Then it was a case of staying out of trouble and getting a run. But he has no problems with the Valley and he answered up very well,' said Whyte.

 The final event was a cracker on paper and it turned out that way with Pinky Long Legs scoring in course-record time.

 Pinky Long Legs, defying the track pattern, came from off the pace to score a thrilling short head victory over gallant topweight Divine Prospect (9-1) in a time of 1:39.9.

 Commander Charlie (17-1) is usually seen towards the rear but he was ridden along and actually took up the running coming to the home turn in the Classes One and Two mile event.

 But he could not go on with it and caved in halfway down the straight as a posse came at him.

 But it was Whyte on Pretty Long Legs, scoring his fifth course and distance victory, who scrambled home from Divine Prospect.

 The David Hayes-trained galloper ran a magnificent race under the whopping weight of 138 pounds.

Robin Parke 



Fradd conquers Valley