Megastar Heart makes the hard work worthwhile for Fownes

Caspar Fownes' long struggle to get Megastar Heart fit and sound was rewarded at Sha Tin on Sunday when the five-year-old broke through for his first Hong Kong victory.

Making his fourth Hong Kong start, Megastar Heart scored by two lengths in the Class 3 San Tin Handicap (1,200m) under Luke Ferraris.

“He’s a nice horse. It’s been a lot of hard work. Jeez, he’s been lame since he arrived, like a proper lame. And he’s big, so you’ve just got to be able to get them right,” Fownes said.

“So frustrating, but that’s what we work for, you know, to get that win.”

The Jockey Club’s trackwork records offer some indication of what was involved. After arriving in Hong Kong in July last year, Megastar Heart went 51 days without trackwork between late August and mid-October, swimming and later exercising on the aqua walker. He resumed trotting in late October but spent much of the following winter swimming or working on a treadmill. His first gallop did not come until February 25 this year.

A Listed winner in Australia, Megastar Heart made his Hong Kong debut on May 17, more than nine months after arriving, where he finished eighth, 10th and fifth in three starts last season before the summer break.

“Yeah, look, he’s been one of the hardest horses for me to train in my career, so for me to get him to where he is now and finally get him fit, I think we have a really nice horse going forward,” Fownes said.

“And, you know, I thank the owner for being a little bit patient with him because we had to take a long time to get him to where we wanted to have him.

“And he’s shown us he’s a nice horse today, and hopefully he can keep improving with greater fitness. And yeah, he looks to have a lot of upside going forward.”

There had been encouraging signs ahead of Sunday’s return, as Megastar Heart won his Conghua trial by five lengths in impressive fashion. 

“He trialed very well in Conghua. The draw was good, which he needed, and he’s done it nicely.

“But now he’s going to go up in the ratings, so hopefully he’ll continue to improve his race fitness, and he could be quite a nice horse for the stable.

“And then hopefully now he pulls up all right, and he comes back, and then we’ve got something to work with going forward.

“If we can do that, I think he’s quite smart. He’s a chance to really get up in the ratings, you know?”

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