Bundle Award and Zac Purton win G3 Queen Mother Memorial Handicap

Progressive four-year-old Bundle Award might have earned a start at Group 1 level after displaying impressive staying talent with victory in the HK$4.2 million G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap (2400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (4 May) for trainer John Size and jockey Zac Purton.

Triumphant at 1400m and 1800m at Sha Tin this year, Bundle Award (123lb) handled the rise to 2400m with aplomb to defeat Noisy Boy (121lb) by a short head in 2m 29.72s after a stirring battle, with Winning Dragon (125lb) third, three-quarters of a length away.

Bundle Award was paying around 1.85 fixed odds pre-race and had been heavily backed on-course and with horse racing bookmakers in the lead-up. Bravehearts, the second elect at 4.60, failed to fire a shot and faded to finish last.

While the winning margin was slender, there was a sense of inevitability about the outcome when Bundle Award fanned to the outside of the six-horse field at the home turn. He then accelerated from the tail of the field to power to the line in 21.67s over the final 400m as Noisy Boy resisted bravely for Jerry Chau and Winning Dragon refused to yield under Alexis Badel.

Bundle Award’s performance leaves master trainer Size with the potential option of starting the gelding — the winner of three races in Australia when he raced as Prince Prawn for Allan & Jason Williams before being exported to Hong Kong racing — in the HK$13 million G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) on May 31 at Sha Tin.

“We’ll see how he is. He’s not rated up to that (Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup) at the moment, but let’s have a look and see what’s available for him,” Size said of the 86-rater.

“He’s been really good for us and he’s performed admirably today. It was a big job for him to do that to go to another distance and still win.

“It was hard to predict how they would run the race, but it probably was always going to be a slow-run affair but, a long way from home, he looked like he might be able to win the race. It was just a matter of whether he was in the frame of mind to go on with it.

“He’s physically fine, I think he’s just got to learn to a little bit more about racing and a little bit more about how to win a race.”

Size last won the Queen Mother Memorial Cup with Dr Well in 2006, while Purton added to his wins in the race on Dominant (2013) and Exultant (2018) after his left foot was dislodged today from the stirrup when the gates opened.

“He came out sideways and banged the gate and it’s my sore foot, too, so it’s in a bit of pain,” Purton said. “They went really slow, which was always going to play into my hands because he’s got the best turn of foot of any horse in the race.

“It became a sprint home. He had it won a fair way out but he just didn’t know how to put them away. He’s learning he did a good job.”

Bundle Award, who finished seventh in the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) to Cap Ferrat on March 23, is the first horse out of this season’s Classic to win a Group race.

Tony Cruz swept to another towering milestone with a double at Sha Tin, taking his combined career haul as a trainer and jockey in Hong Kong to 2,500 wins.

The six-time champion jockey rode 946 winners and his success today on Sunday with Liveandletlive, who earned a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million by winning the Class 3 Chatham Handicap (2000m) under Angus Chung, and Winning Ovation, who also snared a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million under Badel in the Class 3 Austin Handicap, took his tally as a trainer to 1,554.

“I’m very happy with that. It’s great,” Cruz, a dual Hong Kong champion trainer, said.

Chris So-trained Hong Lok Golf (121lb) continued his striking progress with victory in the Class 2 Hillwood Handicap (1600m) for Harry Bentley to earn a PPG Bonus of HK$1 million. Posting his fifth win from six starts, the Grunt gelding impressed with his tenacity under a strong Bentley ride to defeat Cody Mo-trained Pray For Mir (119lb).

“Wow. In the straight when I saw Cody’s horse, I thought he would beat us. But I spoke to Harry and he just said that he wasn’t that worried. The last 100m, he did it easy,” So said.

So indicated the HK$4.2 million G3 Lion Rock Trophy (1600m) on May 31 could be an option for Hong Lok Golf.

David Hayes and Brenton Avdulla combined with Contributer three-year-old Fortune Boy to snare the Class 4 Kowloon Cricket Club Centenary Cup Handicap (1600m) after Size’s Crossborderpegasus made it three wins from four starts, triumphing narrowly in the Class 3 Gascoigne Handicap (1200m) for Purton despite racing erratically.

“He’s just a really difficult horse to ride,” Purton said of the Rich Enuff gelding. “He’s got bad habits and it’s very hard to keep him straight and it might be better for him at 1400m, too.”

Britney Wong rode her first winner since March with a clever front-running ride on Manfred Man’s Circuit Victory in the Class 5 Jordan Handicap (1200m).

“It’s really great and I really appreciate all the support from Manfred. He’s been a big supporter even since I was a trainee,” the 10lb-claiming apprentice said. “It’s a nice feeling to reward him and his team in this way.”

Lucky Symphony delivered on the promise he had displayed in three previous runner-up efforts with victory for Jamie Richards and Andrea Atzeni in the Class 4 Hung Hom Handicap (1200m).

“Andrea gave him a beautiful ride. He won it at the start. Barrier 14 looked a bit tricky but 10 out of 10 from Andrea,” Richards said.

Quick Money prevailed for Dennis Yip in the Tsim Sha Tsui Plate (1000m) for Griffins under a patient ride by Chau before Matthew Poon slotted his 30th win of the season when Mo-trained Ka Ying Superb held off Shamus Storm to land the second section of the Class 4 Cox’s Handicap (1400m).

David Eustace’s talented Dazzling Fit made another favourable impression by winning the first section of the Class 4 Cox’s Handicap (1400m) for Luke Ferraris.

Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday, May 7.