Fortunate Son continues rich vein of form at Happy Valley

By Leo Schlink

Continuing a strong start to the 2026/27 season, Cody Mo cemented his place at the top of the Hong Kong trainers’ championship as Fortunate Son (126lb) confirmed his status as a Happy Valley specialist by sweeping to the lead in the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge on Wednesday night (23 September).

Making it two wins from two starts this campaign at Happy Valley, Fortunate Son seized top spot in the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge and took his tally to 30 points after Vincent Ho sealed a double with success in the Class 3 Tai Hang Handicap (1800m).

Rated 71 before slotting his fourth Hong Kong win, the New Zealand-bred gelding is likely to be kept at Happy Valley for a tilt at the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge, which carries a HK$1 million bonus to the best performed horse in Class 3 races or above until 17 February.

Mo indicated the series was a temptation for the improving six-year-old.

“I will just see the program first. The horse is more mature this season. If he has a smooth run with not much pressure, he can finish strong,” Mo said.

“I’ll have to see how many rating points he gets and if he is still in Class 3, then we can make some further planning. The focus is still on Happy Valley.”

Jerry Chau, winner of last season’s Tony Cruz Award as the leading homegrown jockey, matched Ho’s feat with a brace aboard David Eustace pair Red Brick Warrior and Akermanis Gold.

“It’s a very good night. We had some good draws, everything went smoothly with the first two rides, so I am very happy to win for David. He’s given me a lot of support,” Chau said. “It’s always exciting to have the first wins of the season.”

Chau opened his seasonal account with the success of Red Brick Warrior (129lb) in the Class 5 Nam Fung Handicap (1650m) before doubling his haul on Akermanis Gold (122lb) in the Class 4 Wong Chuk Hang Handicap (1650m).

Eustace was delighted with Red Brick Warrior’s display.

“He got a good draw (barrier one) and he was able to make use of the draw. He's been slow away in most of his races, but we've done a lot of work at home to get him to jump, so I'm grateful for the stall's team to persevere and when he jumped well, we were keen to be positive,” Eustace said.

“He took the race by the scruff of the neck and he's a fit horse and he hadn't had a lot of time off in the off-season. It was his first season last season and Hong Kong, as we know, it takes some time to get used to the racing here, so it worked out well today and hopefully he can gain a bit of confidence from it.”

David Hall also posted a double, combining with Zac Purton and Bits Superstar (120lb), who comfortably landed the first section of the Class 4 Deep Water Bay Handicap (1200m) before Brenton Avdulla notched his first win of the campaign aboard Hall’s Brownneedsfurther (131lb) in the second section of the Class 4 Deep Water Bay Handicap (1200m).

Hall lauded Purton’s ride on Bits Superstar as the gelding broke through after a frustrating sequence of placings last season.

“He had three really good seconds last season where he tried so hard and I think he got a bit tired towards the end of the season after giving his all in those efforts,” Hall said. “He didn't have much luck the other night - Zac got him in a good spot and he was rewarded with the win.”

Hall hopes Brownneedsfurther can continue to progress.

“It was good for him to have a break and a freshen up and he's come back looking very well, but I think mentally he's come back a bit better also. So, hopefully he can keep progressing and we might be able to see him over 1400m or even 1650m yet - we'll experiment a bit more with that as the season goes on,” Hall said.

Apprentice Nichola Yuen posted her first victory at Happy Valley with a clever tactical ride on Pierre Ng’s Prestige Always (111lb) in the second section of the Class 3 Mount Butler Handicap (1200m).

“I’m very excited to finally get the win,” Yuen, 26, said of her ninth ride at the city circuit. “I’m still getting to know how to ride this track because it’s a very tactical track. I think this track really helped the horse today.”

Happy Smile (124lb) clinched the Class 4 Hong Kong Country Club Challenge Cup Handicap (1650m) with a withering finish for Jamie Richards and Derek Leung before Caspar Fownes-trained Jumbo Blessing (135lb) charged to his third course and distance victory after surging down the outside under Ho in the Class 4 Island Handicap (1000m).

Danica’s Choice (122lb) continued his excellent form at Happy Valley – and gave Manfred Man’s stable its fourth win of the term – with success in the first section of the Class 3 Mount Butler Handicap (1200m) under Andrea Atzeni.

Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday (27 September) with the G3 Celebration Cup Handicap (1400m).