Caspar Fownes bettered his own Happy Valley record on Wednesday night and immediately set his sights on shattering it as he surged towards a fifth trainers' championship on a big night with his stable jockey Joao Moreira.
The pair teamed up for a double with Family Fortune and The Heir, which took Fownes to 41 winners at Happy Valley for the season, eclipsing the single-season mark of 40 he set there in 2009/10.
"Very exciting night. And, for me, I'm mostly proud that the horse has come out and done the job again," Fownes said. "Normally, he doesn't perform that well on the inside compared to the outside, but he's gained a lot of confidence from his win last start and great ride by Joao. For me, it's a personal best to get 41 wins here. That means a lot to me at my home track. I'm going to try and shatter that record this season."
Moreira, the former four-time champion called in as Fownes' gun-for-hire stable rider, first delivered a perfectly timed inside move on 2.7 favorite Family Fortune to win the opening Mount Butler Handicap, a Class 5 over 1,650 meters.
"Gate 1 assisted us," Fownes said. "He snuck up the inside there on the corner and that was the winning move. If you come out, you probably get balked for a run – the difference between winning and losing."
Four of the 11 remaining meetings are still to be held at Happy Valley, including the season finale on July 15, giving Fownes ample chance to extend the mark. He has trained more winners at the track than any trainer in history and will lean heavily on his exceptional strike rate there in what looms as an exciting finish to the trainers' championship.
Moreira's return as a stable retainer has injected fresh excitement into midweek racing at the city track and Hong Kong racing overall.
"What a ride. It's beautiful to watch," Fownes said. "Very happy to have him riding for me. And it's exciting, you know? It's great for the fans."
