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Rainbow Fighter swooped late to snare victory in the Class 3 Betterment Handicap at Happy Valley on ht, Wednesday night to claim a last-gasp victory in this season’s1O1O Million Challenge.

Derek Cruz’s charge required a win in the finale’s penultimate race to accrue the points necessary to clinch the HK$650,000 first prize.

Rainbow Fighter went to post with 51 points on the board, nine behind the then leader Pleasure Gains, who had staked his claim for the top prize with a win earlier on the card.

With a triumph counting for 15 points and second place only six, jockey Douglas Whyte made no mistake in unleashing the five-year-old centre track for a race and 1O1O Million Challenge-winning run, much to the delight of Cruz and the gelding’s owner, the Keep It Going Syndicate.

“I won this challenge in its early days with Fruity Fruity (2004/05), so it’s been kind to me, this competition,” said Cruz. “I particularly targeted this horse at the challenge because he’s a horse that, if he could just spark it off, he could have a couple of wins.

“He did that very smoothly,” he continued. “He’s kept his condition and he’s been an up-and-coming, improving horse. I think he can still win another race, but the job is done today, that’s the main thing.”

The competition, which commenced on 11 September and is for horses competing in races of Class 3 standard and above at Happy Valley, awards 15 points for a win, six for second place, four for third place and three for fourth place.

Rainbow Fighter’s tally of 66 points surpasses the previous record of 63, set last season by Cape Canaveral.

The Tony Cruz-trained Bullish Boy went into the final meeting in first place with 56 points but was knocked off the top spot in a thrilling climax to race four, in which he finished third behind Pleasure Gains, leaving both those horses on 60 points, but with Pleasure Gains ahead courtesy of a greater number of higher points earning placings.

Rainbow Fighter’s late flourish ensured the Manfred Man-trained Pleasure Gains had to settle for the HK$250,000 second prize, with Bullish Boy collecting HK$100,000 for third place.

2013/14 1O1O Million Challenge Results

* PLEASURE GAINS and BULLISH BOY scored the same number of points but PLEASURE GAINS had the most number of higher point earning placings, and as such PLEASURE GAINS is the 1^st runner-up of the series while BULLISH BOY is the 2^nd runner-up.