Shannon Glow's winning Hong Kong debut was a team effort, and David Eustace shared the credit after the four-year-old gave him his first winner for owners Lily Chan Li Lei and Marc Chan.
Australian trainer Cindy Alderson trialed Shannon Glow before recommending him to Eustace.
“She rang me and said, ‘I really like this horse. I think you should buy him.’ So she was dead right,” Eustace said.
Chan's agent Jamie McCalmont and Noah Johnson also gave their approval before Jerry Chau Chun-lok delivered in Race 2, the first section of the Class 4 Sun Chui Handicap (1,400m).
The performance was encouraging given Eustace's expectations about the distance.
“I thought 1,400 would be too sharp, to be honest,” he said. “He might even go straight to a mile and see how he comes through it.”
“I’m not going to get carried away. He needs to continue to progress.”
Dennis Yip Chor-hong's wait for his first winner of the season ended in Race 6, the Class 4 Sun Tin Wai Handicap (1,000m), as Supreme Voyager delivered the former champion trainer's 900th Hong Kong victory.
Yip was one of three trainers still winless after a month and a half, but their circumstances differed.
Newcomer James Cummings had few runners, while Jimmy Ting Koon-ho remained winless after 26 attempts. Yip had already saddled 49 runners for a handful of placings.
The frustration continued when Lucky Year was beaten as favorite in Race 3, the Class 4 Chun Shek Handicap (1,800m). Three races later, Harry Bentley guided Supreme Voyager to his first victory at the 11th attempt.
“I've been in racing for over 40 years, I've seen so many things. I've truly seen the fickleness of human relationships. We are fine, we just do our job step by step,” Yip said.
Ride of the day: Angus Chung Yik-lai – Star Satyr
Angus Chung Yik-lai had barely finished celebrating one of the season's biggest upsets aboard John Size's $102 outsider Good Good in Race 3, the Class 4 Chun Shek Handicap (1,800m), before completing a quickfire double on Tony Cruz's Star Satyr.
Chung's early judgment was decisive in Race 4, the second section of the Class 4 Sun Chui Handicap (1,400m).
Star Satyr had settled last from barriers 14 and 13 in his first two starts this season, but Chung used gate six to put the five-year-old into the race early rather than leave him another difficult task from the rear.
The timing was perfect for a horse who had gone 498 days without winning. Star Satyr arrived rated 64 and broke through off 60, but had since slipped to a career-low mark of 40.
Eligible for Class 5, he instead secured his second Hong Kong victory and another Class 4 winner's cheque.
