Hong Kong: Purton cold-waters California Spangle's chances in Derby

The Hong Kong Derby comes Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, and as the final leg of the 4-year-old classic series arrives, a key question arises: Is Purton playing possum?

Zac Purton, along with Joao Moreira one of the two leading riders in Hong Kong, already has piloted California Spangle in the first two legs of the classic series. There’s no question California Spangle is an unusually talented horse. He’s raced eight times, won six, and was second in his two defeats. His first six starts came at distances of 1,200 meters or less, and as a speedy son of the sprinter and sprint sire Starspangledbanner, stamina concerns naturally arose. Stretched to 1,600 meters, California Spangle ran well but finished second by a half-length in the Hong Kong Classic Mile. But in his most recent race, the 1,800-meter Hong Kong Classic Cup, Purton put California Spangle on the lead, controlled the tempo, and got home by a full length.

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California Spangle, trained by Tony Cruz, hadn’t even cooled out when Purton told local media his mount struggled to stay the distance. And as the 2,000-meter Hong Kong Derby approached, Purton beat the same drum, saying a good draw would be essential for any real chance of success Sunday. California Spangle, one of 14 entrants, drew post 10, and with a short run to the first of two turns, he’ll have to be used to make the front and avoid losing precious ground.

“If he can pull it off, it’s going to be a monumental performance,” Purton told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity this week.

This all might be real talk. On the other hand, California Spangle ran better at 1,800 meters than he did at 1,600, and if he truly was out on his feet in the Classic Cup, it didn’t show on the gallop-out: The only horse that got past California Spangle before he pulled up was second-place Turin Redstar. Maybe California Spangle is cut out to be a sprinter-miler, but a superior talent facing age-restricted competition can overcome distance limitations, and it won’t be a shock Sunday if California Spangle wins again Sunday.

The Hong Kong Derby, ungraded but worth a whopping $3.07 million, is the eighth of 10 races on a card that starts at 1 a.m. Eastern. Live video and wagering are available at DRFBets.com.

California Spangle is one of 10 horses exiting the Hong Kong Classic Cup and several endured worse trips than the winner, including Romantic Warrior, who beat California Spangle in the Classic Mile. That victory gave Romantic Warrior five wins from five starts, but he had next to no chance to continue the streak in the Classic Cup. There, breaking from post 13, Romantic Warrior and Karis Teetan – more through bad luck than bad riding – wound up four wide with no cover down the long backstretch run and around the race’s one turn. Romantic Warrior still managed to finish a creditable fourth, but there are no assurances that he really wants 2,000 meters, either. Romantic Warrior, an Irish-bred like California Spangle, is by Royal Applause, whose progeny’s average winning distance is 6.9 furlongs, only one-tenth of furlong farther than that of Starspangledbanner’s. Both horses get a dose of stamina from their dam’s sire, Street Cry in Romantic Warrior’s case, High Chaparral in California Spangle’s.

Turin Redsun does have breeding that could help him excel at this longer trip, and he might be the right horse for the Derby. Turin Redsun raced six times in England (while named Mithras) before being purchased and sent to Hong Kong, where he has made only four starts. The gelding has improved every run, closing from 13th to finish fourth in the Classic Mile before making an encouraging bid through traffic to nab second in the Classic Cup. Alexis Badel has the mount Sunday and Turin Redsun has a good draw in post 6.

Money Catcher managed third in the Classic Cup mainly because he got a favorable pressing and stalking trip just behind California Spangle’s modest pace. The fifth-and sixth-place Classic Cup finishers, Senor Toba and The Irishman, respectively, merit a second look in the Derby. Senor Toba slightly outkicked The Irishman last month, and while The Irishman had the tougher journey in the Classic Cup and gets a jockey change to Blake Shinn, he’s marooned in post 14, leaving Shinn little option but to drop to the tail of the field and make one run.