Colourful King eyes bounce-back win as David Eustace plans ahead

David Eustace heads to Happy Valley on Wednesday encouraged by signs his stable is building toward a strong finish to the season.

Eustace is enjoying one of his better months, with five wins in April after training three winners in each of the previous three months. Despite being 12th in the standings with 26 wins, he has his fair share of second-place finishes with 36 — but remains upbeat despite the lack of luck so far. 

“We haven’t necessarily had the rub of the green, but that’s everyone,” said Eustace. “I don’t for a second want to think we’ve been more unlucky than anyone else. That’s just racing here.”

The second-season trainer said he has planned for a strong back end of the season and beyond. The stable has 11 Private Purchase Griffins yet to race, with Ace Eagle, Break Heaven and Noble Fighter among those he is looking forward to unveiling, along with an unnamed two-year-old by Pinatubo. He is also optimistic about Hong Kong Derby fifth-placegetter Seraph Gabriel, who he expects to compete in races like the Queen Mother Memorial as a five-year-old after being gelded.

The stable’s five-strong team for Happy Valley tonight is headed by joint top-rated Colourful King, who contests the Seoul Handicap over 1,000 meters seeking to recapture the form that made him one of the season’s most exciting sprinting discoveries.

The four-year-old won brilliantly third-up when Zac Purton produced him late along the inside rail to score by a length and a half, then ran second in the Group 3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy before twice meeting trouble at 1,200 meters — badly checked two starts ago and then steadied to last from a wide gate at Sha Tin, finishing a length and a half behind Crimson Flash on both occasions.

First-time cheekpieces have been added as he drops back to 1,000 meters where he has won two from four.

“We just thought we’d try a set of cheekpieces to help sharpen him up a bit without being too aggressive,” Eustace said. “He’s certainly not a horse who needs stirring up with a set of blinkers, but cheekpieces just might help him stay in touch.”

Purton was direct about the challenge his mount presents. 

“He can gallop, we know that,” he said. “It’s just not easy with his racing style. He likes to be given a chance and then produce one sharp run at them. They’re very quick, they know what they’re doing, and they don’t make mistakes.”

Both trainer and jockey confirmed a tilt at Royal Ascot next year remains on the table.

“I’ve said to the owner all the way through that I don’t think we’ve over-raced him,” Eustace said. “A lot of that has to do with focusing on his five-year-old season, and Royal Ascot could well be an option.“​​

 

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