Horse to Follow – Bustling City
Bustling City picked up where he left off last season, making all for a dominant seven-length first-up win that was every bit as comfortable as the margin suggests.
The clock was modest at 1:08.88, but Brenton Avdulla never had to get serious and was easing the four-year-old down late.
David Hayes believes maturity and a change in training have made the difference. Bustling City has always shown serious speed in dirt trials, but his tendency to overdo things prompted the stable to double his slow work and cut back his faster work.
“He’s a very fast horse,” Hayes said. “Brenton asked me how I wanted it ridden and I said, ‘Let a fast horse be fast.’ I think he could be the new king of the dirt in Hong Kong.”
Another dirt race in two weeks is already penciled in, although Hayes still expects to give Bustling City another chance on turf over 1,200 meters later in the season.
Apex Glory had enough go wrong first-up that Zac Purton made sure luck had as little say as possible this time.
The four-year-old lost ground at the start and struck further trouble in running when finishing strongly into fourth on his seasonal return. That came after he had advertised his improvement in blinkers by winning an all-weather trial by 11 lengths.
Purton took over the reins today, had Apex Glory away cleanly from the outside gate and sent him forward to establish the lead rather than risk being caught in traffic again.
From there, Purton dictated on his own terms before Apex Glory kicked clear to score by a length and a half, breaking through at his fifth start.
Manfred Man Ka-leung believes the blinkers can keep taking the four-year-old forward.
“I think so,” Man said when asked if Apex Glory could continue climbing the ratings. “I think he can go up to Class 3 and be competitive.”
Cody Mo Wai-kit kept his remarkable early-season sequence going when Flowing Riches won on his first start for the stable, giving the trainer exactly one winner at every meeting so far.
There was a touch of déjà vu about it for Flowing Riches, who won at the corresponding meeting last season for Jimmy Ting Koon-ho. That had been his first and only victory from 13 starts before Sunday.
Flowing Riches had trialed pleasingly since joining Mo, although the trainer admitted barrier one down the straight course had caused some concern. Jerry Chau Chun-lok ensured it did not become a problem, producing a well-judged ride before Flowing Riches finished the job.
“After the race, Jerry told me the horse can try 1,200 meters again — it will suit him,” Mo said after bringing up his sixth win of the season.
