Francis Lui's Sha Tin treble ignites title hopes but trainer plays it cool

It takes a lot to get Francis Lui Kin-wai excited, especially when it comes to trainers' championships.

After all, the man trained Golden Sixty, one of Hong Kong's greatest ever horses. He also clinched one of the most thrilling titles of all time when he won four of the last five races of the 2023-24 season to beat Pierre Ng Pang-chi. So forgive him for keeping his powder dry with 16 meetings still to go.

But Lui fired a warning shot at Sha Tin on Sunday, ripping through the middle of the card with a race-to-race double courtesy of Superb Spirit and Thunder Kit, then landing Meaningful Dragon in the ninth to make it three wins for the day and catapult himself into what is shaping as the tightest trainers' championship race in years.

With five trainers separated by just six wins, the run home looms as a genuine dogfight and every victory is one less for Lui’s rivals – all of whom were winless on the day. 

Lui finished the day in fourth on 50 wins, just four behind leader Danny Shum Chap-shing on 54, with Mark Newnham on 52 and Caspar Fownes on 51 rounding out the top three. David Hayes is fifth on 48. Thirteen-time champion John Size kept slim hopes alive with a win in the final race but is eight off the pace on 46.

Asked after the Thunder Kit-Superb Spirit double whether he was getting excited, Lui played the straightest of bats.

"I'm not excited, but I will try to get more winners," he said.

After Meaningful Dragon made it three, the question was put again.

"We try. We try. We try. I have to beat another five. It is not one-on-one," he said.

Lui’s strongest weapon may be Sha Tin: he has the most turf wins there of any trainer this season, 36 to Size’s 29, and the highest course strike rate, at 13 percent.

"At the moment, I prefer Sha Tin for my horses because at Happy Valley, you need a lucky draw," he said. "Of course, here at Sha Tin also, but if you are drawn badly at Happy Valley, you've got no chance. Here, luck can be better, with the pace more suitable, and it gives you a chance to get more winners."

Thunder Kit's win at his sixth start was a case study in Lui's patient horsemanship. The gelding arrived from South Australia with modest form at Oakbank and Balaklava. Lui has got his first season win and, crucially, said the horse is likely to start again between now and the season finale on July 15. 

"Before, he was still green and, inside the gate, sometimes he got a bit nervous, but with more racing he has become more mature," he said.

"You look at his form from Australia, and it seemed he had potential because he was lightly raced, even if it was at Oakbank and Balaklava."

Meaningful Dragon's victory required a different touch. A hoof problem had plagued the gelding early in the season, leaving him unable to finish off in barrier trials.

"We just kept taking care of his hoof and we tried to bring him back slowly," he said.

With two months remaining and Lui running hot at Sha Tin, the trainers' championship has a new dimension – and an in-form contender playing it cool.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓