Armor Golden Eagle chases Happy Valley hat-trick
Only three wins separate the leading trio in the 2025/26 Hong Kong trainers’ championship, and Mark Newnham is hoping to make further ground when he saddles a team of seven at Happy Valley on Wednesday as Armor Golden Eagle (NZ) (Ace High) returns on the one-week back-up.
Armor Golden Eagle rises in grade for the Class 2 Tai Tam Gap Handicap (1800m) following consecutive wins in Class 3 at the city circuit – the most recent over 1650m on 27 May. The four-year-old bay has won three of his past four starts at Happy Valley.
“He’s in really good form since we switched him to Happy Valley. He’s up to Class 2 but down in weight (from carrying 130lb to 119lb),” Newnham said. “He’s been aided by two really good rides from Zac (Purton) from good barriers (four and three) his last two starts.
“He’s a horse in form and, even though he’s going up in grade, I’d expect he’d run well.”
Karis Teetan is booked to ride the 82-rated gelding from stall six against Helene Feeling (135lb), Soleil Fighter (133lb), Packing Angel (130lb), Californiatotality (129lb), Awesome Fluke (127lb), Silvery Breeze (123lb), Beauty Alliance (121lb), Pocketing (120lb), Joy Of Spring (119lb) and Liveandletlive (119lb).
Caspar Fownes tops the table with 58 wins, while Newnham holds third on 55 following his weekend double, with Danny Shum middling the pair on 56. Francis Lui trails on 50, David Hayes has 49 and John Size rounds out the top six with 46 wins.
Newnham also fields Setanta, Exceed The Wish, Same To You, Loving Vibes, Casa Rochester and Power Koepp, who runs in the Class 3 Shouson Hill Handicap (1200m), assigned 120lb as the 63-rated six-time winner seeks his first victory in over a year.
“He’s (Power Koepp) getting down to a rating where he can be competitive,” Newnham said.
Fownes is on track to set a new record for the most wins in a single season at Happy Valley, requiring one to match the 40 he trained in 2009/10. The ‘King of the Valley’ saddles Family Fortune, Captain Link, The Heir, Dancing Classics and Joy Of Spring.
