Celebrating a quartet with a string of emerging gallopers at Sha Tin on Saturday, Ricky Yiu outlined long-range hopes to contest the 2027 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) with Victor Supreme (NZ) (Super Seth) after the promising stayer’s crushing victory.

Jubilant after similarly impressive performances from Rising Force, Lucrative Eight and Chill Easy, Yiu said Victor Supreme would be aimed at the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which features the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m), Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and the 150th BMW Hong Kong Derby.

“He won by reasonable margin – I thought he was a winning chance by maybe a length or two, but not in this style,” Yiu, Hong Kong Champion Trainer in 2019/20, said of the Super Seth gelding’s four-and-a-half lengths romp in the Class 4 Ip Jug Handicap (1800m) under Vincent Ho.

“He's an up-and-coming long-distance horse, even a mile is a bit sharp. He'll be one of the Derby candidates. When the first stage Derby entries open, I'll put him in. The way he looks, he'll be a decent stayer.”

Yiu won the 2023 BMW Hong Kong Derby with subsequent Hong Kong Triple Crown victor Voyage Bubble.

Taking his season’s tally to 44 wins, Yiu was delighted with the performance of Rising Force (NZ) (Deep Field), who confirmed his rich promise with all-the-way success in the Class 2 Li Cup Handicap (1200m) for Zac Purton, earning a PPG Bonus of HK$1 million.

“He won this race like a different horse. That was a great performance by jockey Zac Purton, he rode a very good race. He pinged out of the gate like a bullet, and that's a big advantage,” Yiu said. “He is a pretty versatile horse. He's sharp, he's got natural gate speed – your typical sprinter.

“He might be a horse who's winning over 100 (rating) because he's not really exposed yet, he's only had limited races.” - Hong Kong Jockey Club

Jerricoop impressive in steeplechasing debut

Jerricoop (NZ) (Zed) showed his prowess early as a steeplechaser when coming out on top in a thrilling finish to Sunday’s K & R Steeplechase (3500m) at Te Aroha. 

The son of Zed headed north from Harvey Wilson’s Waverley base to make his debut over the bigger fences, having won over hurdles at the venue last season. Despite his inexperience, he was fancied in the market and closed equal-favourite with Mont Ventoux.  

In the hands of Hamish McNeill, Jerricoop settled into a good rhythm in the first half of the field, negotiating his fences nicely while Odysseus took on the pace making role. There were a host of runners still in contention as the pressure dialed up, with Top Street, Auld Jock, Mont Ventoux and Jerricoop kicking clear heading down to the final fence.  

Auld Jock hit the lead soon after landing but Jerricoop utilized his pace on the flat in the closing stages, getting the upper hand to take the win by a long head. Top Street was just a head back in third, with Mont Ventoux a length back in fourth.  

Wilson was delighted with the performance, praising the ride of McNeill and also the efforts of his horse.  

“It’s great, we’re very happy,” he said. “Being his first steeplechase, we were very pleased, I thought Hamish rode him very well and gave him every opportunity.  

“You’re always a little concerned at their first steeplechase start, I haven’t seen the replay yet and I think he may have muffed one, but majority he jumped well and he’ll learn from that.  

“He wasn’t quite up to the better horses hurdling, he won one and had a couple of placings but wasn’t quite up to those better ones so steeplechasing is the obvious next way to go.”  

In the ownership alongside his wife Ann, Wilson has been training Jerricoop for just under two years, having taken over from fellow Waverley conditioner Erin Hocquard following his flat career.  

“Erin did a grand job producing and racing him, he probably came to the end of it on the flat, so we pestered her a little bit and managed to get him as a jumper,” Wilson said.  

“She is still in the ownership, which is great.” 

Now a winner of over $100,000, Jerricoop is likely to head back to the Waikato for his next appearance with a steeplechase at Te Aroha on the 26th of July.  

“There aren’t many races close to home other than Woodville next week, but he’s not ready for a big open steeplechase like that,” Wilson said.  

“We’ll probably come back to Te Aroha in three weeks and make a plan after that.” - Jess de Lautour LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Special victory for family mare at Waverley

Consistent galloper Great Escape (NZ) (Iffraaj) was a popular winner at Waverley on Saturday.  

The five-year-old daughter of Iffraaj is co-owned by William and Rosie Fell’s Goodwood Stud and Rosie’s sister Kelly Myers was entrusted with riding the mare in the Ultrascan – Mike O’Keefe (1200m), hoping to go one better after finishing a narrow second two starts back at Otaki.  

Great Escape had scarcely been out of the placings in her 10 starts and started favourite in the sprint contest, where she jumped well and settled in the first half of the field.  

Travelling strongly into the home turn, Myers angled off the rail to the centre of the track and Great Escape hit the lead at the 150m, drawing clear from her stablemate Our Akashinga to score by 1 ¾ lengths, giving trainers Kevin and Stephen Gray the quinella.  

Palmerston North-based Fell was on course to celebrate the victory and felt a sense of relief after the mare narrowly missed in two tight finishes this campaign.  

“I was so happy, my reaction after the race was probably more so relieved as well,” she said. “I am just stoked. 

“I haven’t spoken to Stephen since the race, but they live just around the corner, so I’ll pop out there and have a chat about what’s going to happen next in the next few days.”  

Having co-bred Great Escape, Fell initially placed her with Awapuni trainer Roydon Bergerson, who prepared her to win her maiden and finish sixth in the Gr.3 O’Leary’s Fillies Stakes (1200m).  

The mare was subsequently off the scene for over a year due to injury, and after pre-training her, Fell decided to try her hand at the training role and prepare the mare herself.  

A familiar face in the New Zealand racing scene, Fell (nee Myers) won well over 600 races and five Group Ones as a jockey, riding at the highest level for a number of years before retiring following a serious accident at the trials over five years ago.  

Fell came close to adding her first win as a trainer with Great Escape, recording two seconds and a third from as many starts before she joined the Gray stable.  

“Roydon Bergerson initially trained her, then she had a back injury,” Fell said. “I was pre-training her ready to go back into his stable, then I thought I could train her myself, so I got my license and trained her.  

“I got pregnant and thought I couldn’t really have a baby and train her, and because I was using Stephen’s track, he was the obvious to take over from that point. 

“I did try and ride her a few weeks ago which was silly, but if I do go out there, I would just ride the pony or something like that.” 

Out of a half-sister to multiple Group One winner and Goodwood graduate Gingernuts, Great Escape is raced by a group of Fell’s friends and family. - Jess de Lautour LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

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