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Luen On Dance Kid stamped himself as the horse to beat in Macau’s 4YO classic races this season with a dazzling win in Sunday’s Japan Racing Association Trophy at Taipa.
In a rough run affair jockey Oscar Chavez navigated a perfect path around the trouble to be running sixth on the rails from the 600m.
When Royal Garden left the fence coming to the turn he found a saloon passage run on the inside before bursting between the leaders Starkiller and Éclair Sunshine to race away for slashing win.Chavez was full of praise for the son of Snitzel, stating that there was plenty of horse still left under him.
“That was a great win. The race really went according to plan and I was really happy with how I came into the race from the six hundred,” he said.“Once he sprinted to the front I felt him relax like he was waiting for a challenge. Honestly I still had so much horse under me.”
Luen On Dance Kid is prepared by Geoff Allendorf and raced by prominent Macau owner Thomas Lau Pong Sing.The four year has been a bargain buy for Lau after being picked up at the 2017 Melbourne Tried Horse Sale for the modest sum of $A14,000.
The gelding has now won six races and placed on three occasions from his 10 starts. The only occasion he was out of the money was his previous run when he was fifth behind Lover Paradise over 1200 metres.“The 1200 metres is a bit sharp for him nowadays as he can’t get to travel on the bit in the run,” Allendorf said.
“That makes it two from two at the 1500 so he’s coming along well for the four year old classic races.”The G3 Derby Trial over 1500 metres is the first of the classics on April 21 ,followed by the G1 Macau Guineas also at 1500 metres on May 25.
The crowning glory is the Macau Derby over 1800 metres on July 27.The win on Luen On Dance was first leg of a double for Oscar Chavez with the Panamanian rider producing a faultless ride on the K C Chong prepared Wonder Holy to win the Class 3 & 4 over 1800 metres.
Chavez rode the seven year old Irish bred gelding hard away from the gates to lead and then proceeded to steady the race down to a nicety before showing plenty of fight in the straight to beat Iced Jade (Breinell Yamzon), with Casino Mok (Ruan Maia) in third.“My instructions before the race were actually to be running back in third spot off the leader, but I had studied the race carefully and I was sure he would be better suited in front.” Chavez said.
“Everything went as planned when they left me alone in front. I don’t think this horse is a good chaser and once I got to the front he enjoyed it and every time they came at me in the straight he just kept kicking.”Chavez has been a great addition the riding ranks in Macau and was recently licensed until the end of the season.
At present Ruan Maia still has a nice lead in the premiership with 24 wins, five clear of Luis Corrales with Chavez tipped as the strong finisher in third spot on 14 victories.The old adage, “all is not that meets the eye,” certainly rang true on Sunday when racegoers were left scratching their heads after the running of the first race.
In a deceiving finish to the 3 & 4YO Handicap over 1200 metres most including both the English and Chinese commentators thought that Fortune Flyer under Eric Cheung had gone home over the top on Tremendous Wins (Wayne Smith).To the naked eye as they strode head and head to the line it appeared that Fortune Flyer had won by at least a head.
What convinced most was that the body of Fortune Flyer and jockey Eric Cheung was much more forward then Tremendous Wins and Wayne Smith as they crossed the line.What they had not counted on was the fact that Tremendous Wins is a much longer bodied horse that stands over more ground then Fortune Flyer; and as well both horses are the same bay color right down to the tips of their noses.
Tremendous Wins got his massive head down and the stride in right on the white line but it went unnoticed by most.Even the connections of Fortune Flyer had made their way to the saddling paddock for the winning photo only to be shocked when the decision went against them.
The judge’s photo finish print clearly showed on both the mirrored image and the foreground shot that Tremendous Wins had indeed established a clear nose margin over Fortune Flyer.However the drama didn’t end there with Eric Cheung firing in an objection alleging interference 50 metres after the start.
After consideration by the MJC stewards panel chaired by Australian Zane Turner, it was established that Fortune Flyer was a maker of his own demise.The four year old having his first race start raced greenly away from the gates and gradually shifted out onto the heels of Tremendous Wins and had to be eased, and as such the protest was dismissed.
Tremendous Wins was the first leg of a winning double for trainer Tony Fung who scored later in the day with To’s Family in the Class 2 & 3 over 1200 metres.After Sunday Fung leads Alan Tam 17 to 16 on the trainer’s table.