The Caspar Fownes-trained Peppermint shocked punters and surprised his trainer with a 50-1 blowout victory in the Fan Lau Handicap (1,650m) at Happy Valley last night but it was welcome at any odds for leading young freelance rider Keith Yeung Ming-lun.
Yeung had returned to the saddle only last Sunday for two mounts, after spending three months on the sidelines with a fractured left ankle after a barrier trial fall at Sha Tin on September 18.
Peppermint was only his fourth ride back from the injury and the former champion apprentice said he was thrilled to win early but still feeling his way.
"Where the bone broke on my ankle has become bigger so I'm still adjusting and feeling my way, trying to get my seat back," Yeung said. "I didn't come tonight expecting this horse to win - on his form, he didn't look to have much chance but obviously he liked the switch from Sha Tin to Happy Valley, he got speed on and everything went perfectly for us in the race."
It was Yeung's fifth winner from only 33 rides for Fownes, who was at a loss to explain the improvement after Peppermint had disappointed the stable this season.
"I thought he would come back and win a couple of races this season but he's been disappointing and I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with him that we hadn't caught.
"He just wasn't going through with things at the end of his races," Fownes said. "Anyway it's great to see him win again and great for Keith.
"He's a nice lad and rides well, but he hasn't done much riding for me and has never been on this horse before."
Howard Cheng Yue-tin had a glorious double on Glory Win for Ricky Yiu Poon-fai and Home With Glory for Peter Ng Bik-kuen and took the Jockey Challenge honours, while Danny Shum Chap-shing took training honours with a double.
Hei Hei Posh (Tim Clark) and Turf Magic (Tye Angland) scored for the yard but Shum said both horses would go up a grade now and give him a problem.
"I'm not as worried about going up in grade because they'll be in harder races as I am worried that I won't be able to find anyone to ride these horses at the light weights they'll have," Shum said.
"They need strong riders and not many of the senior jockeys ride the light weights."
Top jockeys Zac Purton and Douglas Whyte dominated the early Jockey Challenge betting but only Purton got on the scoreboard with a winner from the two men, after they fought out a bitter struggle at the end of the Class Five contest (2,200m).
"I would have won in the stewards' room if I didn't get the photo," said Purton after the Paul O'Sullivan-trained Mount Victory nosed Sunny Sky to deny Shum a treble. "For a Class Five horse, he showed good application to keep going and win with the other one bumping him three times, but Paul's done well to get two wins out of him all the same."
In the final race, Romantic City (Ben So Tik-hung) continued his rise back up the ratings.
"He's relaxing again and that's why he's winning races again," trainer Gary Ng Ting-keung said.
"He's an old horse so I'd like to keep him at Happy Valley, which is easier on his legs, but he'll start to run out of races soon here."
Derek Leung Ka-chun fell foul of the stewards, catching a two-day ban for causing interference in the final stages of the seventh race.
