Light Years Charm lands Group 2 Sha Tin Trophy to complete Eustace treble

By Paul Ryding

David Eustace is eyeing a run at December’s showpiece LONGINES Hong Kong International Races for Light Years Charm after he capped the English trainer’s best day in Hong Kong with victory in the HK$5.35 million G2 Sha Tin Trophy Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on Monday (19 October).

Six-year-old Light Years Charm, carrying the minimum 115lb under Karis Teetan, enjoyed a splendid trip along the rail and finished with aplomb, wearing down long-time pace-setter Patch Of Theta while pulling away from My Wish, who rallied in the final 100m. Patch Of Theta finished second, a length and three-quarters behind, with My Wish a further quarter of a length back.

The win – Eustace’s first Group 2 triumph in Hong Kong – completed a treble for the third-year trainer. Light Years Charm has now earned prizemoney totalling HK$17.69 million, with this coming after a runner-up finish in June’s G3 Premier Plate Handicap (1800m) and victory in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m) at the end of May.

“It’s been a good day,” Eustace said. “I thought he could run well, given the draw and the weight.

“We’ve been working back from December – I was keen to target the (G1 LONGINES) Hong Kong Cup (2000m). I feel he’ll stay that well. I think at level weights over a mile at Group 1 level, he’d probably find a few too sharp. But pulling up, he wasn’t having too much of a blow. I think he appears to be a natural stayer and at this stage we’ll still go in that direction.

“Karis said it went very smoothly and he got into a lovely rhythm. I was keen to hold the fence; he’s a big horse that needs momentum and is not a horse who wants to be held up. I just felt trying to angle out and ask for a turn of foot; he’s not really that type.”

Teetan was taking his first ride on the Rubick gelding, and was glowing about the horse’s credentials.

“It’s good to get a big win,” Teetan said. “David was really confident that this horse was going to run very well with this weight on his back.

“I trialled him at Happy Valley and, honestly, he gave me the feel of a good horse, and I think he’s showed that today. He had a good run through, but I must say, when I needed him, he responded well and he ran all the way through the line.”

Earlier in the day, Eustace celebrated a victory on debut for Shannon Glow (129lb), ridden by Jerry Chau, the four-year-old who powered home at 33/1 in the first section of the Class 4 Sun Chui Handicap (1400m).

Another promising four-year-old, Ace Eagle (131lb), claimed his maiden victory as Zac Purton guided the hot favourite home in the second section of the Class 4 Lung Hang Handicap (1200m), the treble taking Eustace’s season win tally to 10.

Dennis Yip became only the eighth trainer to saddle 900 Hong Kong winners when Supreme Voyager (119lb) handed the trainer his first win of the season in the Class 4 Sun Tin Wai Handicap (1000m) under Harry Bentley.

The 2012/13 champion trainer joined John Moore (1,735 wins), John Size (1,668), Tony Cruz (1,618), Caspar Fownes (1,244), Ricky Yiu (1,115), Francis Lui (1,044) and Danny Shum (944) in reaching the landmark.

Yip, whose biggest win in Hong Kong came courtesy of Massive Sovereign in the 2024 Hong Kong Derby (2000m), said: “I’ve been waiting a long time (to get to 900). I’m happy.

“(Supreme Voyager) is a big horse. The last two times he didn’t draw well, so we needed to take him back, but this time he drew eight, so I told Bentley ‘he should be midfield’. He did everything right.”

First-year handler James Cummings got off the mark in Hong Kong courtesy of a bold effort from Grand Eagle (121lb) in the Class 3 Lek Yuen Handicap (1200m), with Chau timing the four-year-old’s run to perfection to complete a brace.

“We’ve been delighted that (Grand Eagle) has been able to improve vastly on the first-up run,” said Cummings of his charge, who finished eighth first-up two weeks ago. “I believe the horse had a lot of hidden merit in his first-up effort, and he vindicated that today, ridden with his trademark turn of foot. Jerry Chau was able to get the horse to really lift, and I suspect there’s a little bit more to come with this horse.”

Purton rode his second winner of the day when he guided short-odds favourite Packing Fighter (135lb) to a comfortable win in the Class 3 Sha Kok Handicap (1600m). The win for Danny Shum’s galloper will see the four-year-old advance into Class 2.

Angus Chung grabbed just his second winner of the campaign when Good Good (116lb) clung on to claim a stunning victory in the Class 4 Chun Shek Handicap (1800m). The John Size-trained 101/1 shot tore clear with 300 metres to go but was slowly clawed back by the late-charging Victor Supreme (135lb) before eventually prevailing by half a length. Chung made it a race-to-race double when Star Satyr (116lb) struck in the second section of the Class 4 Sun Chui Handicap (1400m) for Tony Cruz.

Vincent Ho has now ridden a winner at each of the last four meetings when he guided Pierre Ng’s I Excelle (130lb) to a first victory of his career in the Class 5 Shek Mun Handicap (1800m), and Gutsy Bravo (126lb) bagged a first career win in the first section of the Class 4 Lung Hang Handicap (1200m) for trainer Chris So. James Orman in the saddle continued his own solid form with his sixth win of the campaign.

Francis Lui’s Baby Sakura (131lb) remained on course for the Four-Year-Old Classic Series with victory in the card-closing Class 3 Wo Che Handicap (1400m) under Ho, who completed a double.

The Tagaloa gelding has won five of eight career starts, including the past three in succession.

Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday (21 October).