Frankie Lor Fu-chuen once set the standard on Sha Tin's all-weather track, but his fortunes have changed considerably in recent seasons. As Lor's dominance has faded, Mark Newnham has emerged as one of Hong Kong's most effective trainers on the dirt.
Newnham has recorded 24 all-weather victories from 144 starts across his first three complete Hong Kong seasons, a strike rate of 16.7 percent, more than double the track average of 8.2 percent.
Just as impressive is his consistency. Newnham saddled seven winners from 41 starts in 2023/24, another seven from 44 the following season and 10 from 59 last term. His strike rate has remained between 15.9 and 17.1 percent throughout.
Lor made an even stronger start after taking out his Hong Kong license in 2017, winning 35 all-weather races from 179 starts at 19.6 percent across his first three seasons.
He remains the leading active trainer on the surface over the past decade, collecting 77 victories at a 15 percent strike rate. In 2018/19 alone, he won 18 races from 65 starts, a remarkable return of 27.7 percent.
Maintaining that standard has proved difficult. Lor won 13 dirt races in 2022/23, slipped to five the following season and recovered to 10 in 2024/25, before managing just one winner from 60 starts last term.
Other trainers have experienced similarly intense changes, although not always in the same direction.
Me Tsui Yu-sak won 36 all-weather races from 272 starts between 2016/17 and 2018/19, but has managed just seven from 137 over the past three seasons.
Ricky Yiu Poon-fai has gone the other way, improving from four wins in 117 starts during that earlier three-season period to 15 from 133 across the past three campaigns.
David Hall has also enjoyed a revival. He managed just one winner from 55 all-weather starts in 2016/17 but finished last season on six from 45, his best return over the past decade.
John Size, meanwhile, has provided a measure of consistency amid those changing fortunes.
The 13-time champion trainer has recorded 71 all-weather victories from 575 starts over the past 10 seasons, a strike rate of 12.3 percent. His annual tally has ranged from four to 12 winners during that period, avoiding the sharp fluctuations experienced by several of his rivals.
Danny Shum Chap-shing matched Newnham's 10 all-weather winners last season, although he needed 73 starts compared to the Australian's 59.
For all Newnham's consistency, however, much of his success has come from just five horses.
Sing Dragon, Talents Ambition, New Forest, Mojave Desert and Notthesillyone have supplied 19 of his 25 career all-weather victories. Of the 46 horses he has raced on the surface, 11 have won at least once.
Some of those key performers have since retired or moved to other stables, leaving Newnham needing to find others capable of making a similar contribution.
He has made a quieter start on the dirt this season, recording one winner from nine starts, but has eight runners on tonight's card.
Newnham once discussed his approach to the all-weather when speaking to The Standard.
“I trial them on it early, see how they handle kickback, and find which ones really enjoy it,” he said.
