Colourful King's clean start clinches Group 3 and opens door to Royal Ascot dream

Colourful King finally put a stakes win on his résumé in the Group 3 National Day Cup at Sha Tin on Thursday, and trainer David Eustace is already thinking about a plan that could take the straight-course specialist all the way to Royal Ascot.

Sent out the 2.2 favorite under Zac Purton, the five-year-old broke cleanly from barrier seven, settled fourth and surged past Magic Control late for a comfortable 1 1/4 length win in 55.72 seconds.

"He jumped cleanly, which is something he's getting better at, and traveled very, very nicely," Eustace said. "I thought he was actually a touch fresh and probably would have appreciated a stronger gallop. I think you'd see a better turn of foot when he has a stronger gallop to aim at."

That improved start could be the difference for the Blue Point gelding, whose form is littered with bumped and fumbled getaways. In a 1,000-meter dash, a sprinter who gives away lengths at the start rarely gets them back.

Purton said Colourful King can be devastating when things go right. "He was in the right spot, traveled well behind the right horse all the way. It was just a matter of him delivering, and he did that," the champion jockey said. "He's good, but when something puts him off his game, he doesn't turn up."

The win lifted Colourful King's record on Sha Tin's straight course to three wins and two seconds from six starts. Opportunities there are scarce, though, and Eustace knows it.

"He hasn't got a lot of options, so he needs to be right when he has them, given his races are down the straight," he said.

Eustace plans to run him in the Group 2 Premier Bowl over 1,200m on – a rare chance to contest a Group 2 over that trip with no Ka Ying Rising – then target the Group 3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy on New Year's Day, the only other Group race run over the straight 1,000m in Hong Kong.

Beyond that, the conversation turns to Royal Ascot, the five-day June meeting in England that ranks among the most prestigious events on the global racing calendar. Its premier sprint is the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes, run over five furlongs (about 1,000m) up the straight on the opening day. In 2027 that falls on June 15.

The route from the Bauhinia to Ascot is one Purton has traveled before. Little Bridge won the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy for trainer Danny Shum before heading to England in 2012, where Purton guided him to victory in the race then known as the King's Stand Stakes, a career-changing win for both jockey and trainer. Eustace has a family connection too, since his brother Harry trained Docklands and Time For Sandals to a Group 1 double at the 2025 meeting.

"I would certainly consider it," Eustace said. "I'll have a chat with Zac. They're probably a long way away, but when you travel a horse, you do need to plan a long way out. We won't over-race him and hopefully have him ready for races, maybe abroad, towards the end of the Hong Kong season."

Colourful King still has some work to do if he is to justify the considerable expense of a trip to England. He has won five of his 17 Hong Kong starts, and Thursday's race was his first stakes victory. For now, Eustace is happy to see a once-quirky sprinter keep progressing.

"He's a pretty relaxed horse now," he said. "He still has his quirks in the morning, but his regular work rider does a great job with him."

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓