"Patient" Eustace off the mark at Valley with Apolar Fighter

David Eustace said he hopes to “kick on from there” after the trainer got off the mark for the 2025/26 season at Happy Valley last night courtesy of a dominant Class 5 success.

Eustace, who was the last of the 22 trainers to return to the winner’s enclosure this campaign, recorded his first success at the 41st time of asking when Apolar Fighter powered clear in the opening 1,650-meter contest at the city track.

“It’s nice to have a winner and hopefully we can kick on from there,” Eustace told The Standard from Sydney as he prepared for today’s Inglis Ready2Race sale. “We’ve got some nice horses to race over the next few months, so hopefully that gives everyone a bit of confidence because I thought they’ve been running well without winning.”

Eustace finished his first season in Hong Kong with 36 wins, operating at an impressive win rate of just below 10 percent. While he said the plan was to have a “patient” start to his second season, the 34-year-old admitted it was nice to return his first win after three second-place finishes. “The plan was to let the horses take their time, but hopefully we can progress from there,” he said.

The Class 5 win was Apolar Fighter’s first in Hong Kong at his 20th attempt and he did it in emphatic style. The five-year-old powered down the straight to win by three and three-quarter lengths under Jerry Chau Chun-lok.

“It was a nice win,” Eustace added. “He drew well in barrier five, had been racing well, got into a nice position and Jerry did the rest.”

While a host of horses battled for the early lead and set a red-hot early pace, Chau waited patiently in midfield on the rail. As the pace began to deteriorate at the top of the straight, Chau switched off the rail, found a clear run and urged his mount to the lead. Apolar Fighter responded impressively to finish in 99.72 seconds, which was quicker than the following Class 4 contest.