Francis Lui Kin-wai joined an elite group of trainers to reach 1,000 wins in Hong Kong when Darci Brahma gelding Speed Dragon stormed home from last for a stunning victory in Wednesday night’s Group Three January Cup (1,800m) at Happy Valley.
Champion trainer in 2023-24 and the handler of champion galloper Golden Sixty, Lui joined John Moore (1,735 wins), John Size (1,629), Tony Cruz (1,583), Caspar Fownes (1,196) and Ricky Yiu (1,082) in reaching the major milestone when Winning Money and Speed Dragon won at the city circuit.
Speed Dragon helped Lui celebrate in style when he rocketed home from last under a daring Lyle Hewitson ride to claim the only Group race run at Happy Valley.
After being held up for clear running early in the straight, Speed Dragon unleashed a powerful burst when he speared through a gap between rivals in the centre of the track.
The six-year-old surged to the lead inside the final 100m and beat the $5.3 equal favourite, Huge Wave, by half a length. Fellow favourite Helene Feeling was beaten a length and a quarter in third.
“I had three horses in this race and they all had a chance. Chancheng Glory was the highest rated but in this kind of race, lightweights always win,” Lui said.
“[Speed Dragon] is an honest horse.”
Hewitson, a champion jockey and apprentice in his native South Africa, was thrilled to claim his first feature success in Hong Kong.
“I’m really happy that I could get it done. I’ve been touched off in a few Group races and most of them were for Francis, too, so to get the nose in front in such good fashion tonight, I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” Hewitson said.
“I got shuffled back to last on the turn but thankfully that was the section where they picked up the speed and I got a track into it and he quickened so well, I had to wait for the gap and before it had any chance to close, he was through and he won with authority.”
Speed Dragon was bred by The Oaks Stud and raced in New Zealand as Keenasabean from the Tony Pike stable, before his sale to Hong Kong in 2023.
-Jay Rooney
