There was no grandstand finish to the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge but that didn’t bother Danny Shum Chap-shing, with the veteran trainer thrilled to see his long-range plan with Grateful Heart come to fruition.

Grateful Heart entered Wednesday night’s meeting at Happy Valley with a nine-point lead over Scores Of Fun and could have put the competition to bed in the sixth event, however Shum’s four-year-old could only manage third in a hot Class One Blue Pool Handicap (1,200m).

The John Size-trained Scores Of Fun needed to win race eight to pinch the Million Challenge but finished seventh, ensuring Grateful Heart’s connections went home with HK$650,000 first prize.

Sky Field beats home Grateful Heart at Happy Valley last night.

“He deserved to win, he got four wins, a second and a third and the horse always tries his best,” Shum said, adding that he was confident Grateful Heart had done enough even before Scores Of Fun stepped out.

“Last week [Scores Of Fun] was already used a lot so after just seven days and carrying 133 [pounds], I didn’t even think he could beat my horse [Handsome Bo Bo] so I was not scared at all.”

Grateful Heart’s haul of 70 points was a Million Challenge record, surpassing the mark of 66 set by Rainbow Fighter in 2014 and Country Star in 2019, and Shum snared the competition for the third time after saluting with Speedy Longwah in 2016 and Charity Glory in 2018.

On the track it was the Caspar Fownes-trained Sky Field who turned in the performance of the night, the four-year-old producing a blistering finish under Alexis Badel to mow down Grateful Heart and Stronger in the dying stages.

“I was saying to Alexis ‘just have him relaxed, that’s they key with him. I don’t mind where he is as long as he’s relaxed’,” Fownes said of Sky Field, who he believes will be a Group One sprinter in time.

“Because he comes out of the gates tidily, they tend to make the mistake of giving him a little dig and next thing you know you’ve sent the message and he’s off and gone.

“I’d rather him be further back because he’s got the ability to pick them up in a few strides, he’s that good. He’s doing a few things wrong but he’s got that raw ability and he deserved that.”

Fownes went on to land a treble, following up with Daily Beauty in the Class Four Wang Tak Handicap (1,200m) before snaring the final event with Green Luck.

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen claimed the evening’s other Class One, with honest campaigner Solar Wai Wai taking out the Shan Kwong Handicap (1,650m) from Fast Most Furious and The Rock.

After settling just off leader Magnificent, Solar Wai Wai dug deep in the home straight with only 112 pounds on his back under Matthew Poon Ming-fai to ring up his sixth win at start 23.

“The light weight [helped] and I don’t think this horse likes it behind horses,” Lor said. “Beside horses he is OK but behind horses, if the front-runners slow down, he doesn’t like it.”

The son of Snitzel will now find himself on a rating in the low-to-mid 90s after winning once in Class Four, three times in Class Three and once each in Class Two and Class One, with his most recent four victories coming at the extended Valley mile.

“I think over the 1,650m at the Valley he has got a chance [to win again],” Lor said.

Harmony Fire’s victory in the Class Four Village Handicap (1,000m) was a welcome one for Douglas Whyte, the South African snuffing out a winless run dating back to January 13.

And the second-season trainer looks to have a nice young galloper on his hands, with the three-year-old son of Brazen Beau working his way into the race nicely from barrier 11 and sticking on strongly to the line.

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