3 minute read
Foxwedge gelding Luen On Steed gave his owner Thomas Lau a quick return for his investment with a nice win at his second start in Macau on Saturday.
Luen On Steed was a $70,000 purchase at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YOs in Training Sale and looks to have a promising future given his good trial form that was capped off by his win.
Prepared by Geoff Allendorf, Luen On Steed along with another Thomas Lau youngster Luen On Prodigy, also a Magic Millions buy, have been given plenty of time to mature by the trainer.
Allendorf religiously follows his tried and true formula of leaving his young horses for an extra six months in Australia and New Zealand to be pre trained and spelled prior to arriving in Macau.
"I always leave my young ones an extra six months or so before I bring them here. These two like my others were pre trained at Donna Grisedale's at Kembla Grange before coming here." Allendorf said.
"He's a very nice type, he's still very green and I was fortunate to have Oscar Chavez on him. His still got plenty of upside that's for sure and he'll get a good 1500 metres."
On Saturday Luen On Steed was fired out of the gates by Chavez to land in the gun trial on the back of the leader River Jumbo.
Once in the straight Chavez angled the three year old off the leaders to kick away and despite running about greenly ran out a good winner in 1.09.4
The former Victorian galloper Fortune Treasure has proved to be a good buy and on Saturday again scored in the Class 1 & 2 per medium of a lovely ride by Japanese horseman Shogo Nakano.
Fortune Treasure is a former Mick Price galloper who raced in Australia as Smoke Signal and from seven starts won a maiden at Sale over 1208 metres.
Purchased by trainer KH Leong for prominent owner Leung King Wui, Fortune Treasure arrived in the enclave at the start of last season.
The son of Dalakhani took a little time to acclimatize before scoring his first win in Class 3 in March of this year.
Saturday's win was his fifth in Macau and came by way of a perfect ride by Nakano.
From barrier eight he positioned the horse third the rail on the back on the leader China Paradise and squeezed between runners to dart away for a good win in a slick 1.08.4 just outside class record time.
For Nakano, a former top apprentice in the NAR Tokyo area in 2011, it was win number 14 in Macau after arriving 12 months ago.
It's taken a little while for Nakano to adapt to the quicker tempo of Macau racing, however he has really begun to master the different style of racing and is now starting to get more opportunities.
Knows It All is another horse destined for better things after his dominant victory in Saturdays Class 4 over 1500 metres under Dayversom Barros.
A four year old son of Bachelor Duke, Knows It All has now won three of his five starts in Macau, two on the all weather and one on the turf.
Prepared by Victor Chan, Knows It All was foaled in New Zealand before being shipped to Australia under the Aquis Farm banner.
The gelding ran third in a trial at Newcastle for Brett Cavanough before being sent to Angela Plumb at the Gold Coast where he easily won a trial there over 900 metres.
Knows It All was doing his best work at the end of the 1500 metres on Saturday and is looming as a nice early prospect for the 4YO Classics this season.
Comeback jockey Roger Yu got his first look at the winners circle since his return to the saddle with an all the way win on the tough middle distance performer Garlic And Chili, in the Class 2 & 3 on Friday nights sand card.
Yu sent the hardy front runner straight to the lead and set a good solid tempo for the whole race, with the son of Redoute's Choice maintaining a strong gallop right down to the wire.
Prepared by Sio Cheong, Garlic And Chill's victory gave him six wins in the enclave and well over the $1 million HKD mark.
Roger Yu has just returned to race riding after nasty fall back in November of last year when Duke De Vega clipped heels and fell on the all weather.
Yu suffer back injuries but has returned fit and well and eager to reestablish himself back in the top bracket again in Macau.
