Conghua factor: Shum credits mainland training complex for Gorgeous Win's 315-day turnaround

It was another case of a “Conghua reset” coming into play as trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing credited the Club’s mainland training center for helping turn sprinter Gorgeous Win’s form around.

Gorgeous Win hadn’t won in 315 days – a sequence of 10 starts – after once climbing to a peak rating of 97. But a return to the all-weather track, a drop to a more manageable mark of 89 and a silky Hugh Bowman ride brought the gelding back to the winner’s circle with a sixth career success.

Shum said the key was a change of scenery at Conghua, where the relaxed surroundings near Guangzhou helped freshen the sprinter’s mind after a long, winless stretch. 

“When they are stuck like he was you need to try something different,” Shum said. 

The trainer noted the horse had been working more enthusiastically since the mainland stint and Sunday’s result showed the benefit of letting him unwind away from the Sha Tin grind.

Bowman did the rest with a measured, low-panic steer. From just ahead of midfield, he eased Gorgeous Win into clear running at the right time, keeping him out of kickback and allowing the horse to lengthen smoothly into the straight before putting the race away late.

Shum now turns his attention to his stable star Romantic Warrior, confirming the champion will gallop on the Sha Tin turf at 6.30am tomorrow as he builds toward a shot at a fourth successive Hong Kong Cup at Sunday’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races.