Sha Tin double for Per Incanto

Little Avondale Stud stallion Per Incanto continued his good run in Hong Kong on Wednesday when he scored a double at Sha Tin.

His son Flying Dragon recorded his second win when taking out the Class 4 Hap Mun Bay Handicap (1200m) for trainer Dennis Yip, while Duke Wai’s victory in the Class 1 Silvermine Bay Handicap (1200m) has earnt the gelding a tilt at the Gr.3 Shat Tin Vase (1200m) in May.

Upstaging Kurpany and Majestic Star, who are both being aimed at the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin on 24 April, Duke Wai benefited from a stunning Matthew Chadwick ride to post his seventh win from 31 starts, boosting his prizemoney to HK$12.7 million.

“He’s had limited opportunities on the dirt and he’s trialled well on the dirt on a number of occasions, but trials to race days can be a different thing, but he’s a wonderfully consistent horse and he just keeps sticking his head out – and it was a wonderful ride,” trainer Paul O’Sullivan said.

“Just not too sure where we go from here. The options are a little bit slim but there’s a Group 3 handicap coming up over 1200 metres (on 22 May) and that’s what he’ll be set for.”

Bred by Waikato Stud, Duke Wai is a New Zealand Bloodstock graduate who won his sole trial in New Zealand for former trainer Cody Cole before his sale to Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Yip was pleased with jockey Zac Purton’s ride to get Flying Dragon home.

“Zac rode the horse very well,” Yip said. 

“There was a lot of speed on and Zac held the inside and didn’t let them cross them because, if they had, they would have come back onto him when they got tired.”

Bred by Plowman Bloodstock, Flying Dragon is a graduate of Mapperley Stud’s 2019 Karaka Book 1 draft where he was bought by Orbis Bloodstock for $120,000.

Horse ambulance fleet complete 

New Zealand can now boast the world’s first dedicated national horse ambulance service, following the commissioning of the country’s ninth and final horse ambulance. 

The ambulance was unveiled by the NZ Horse Ambulance Trust on Thursday in Karaka, where sponsors and supporters of the Trust celebrated the achievement. 

“We’ve been on a mission to deliver a national fleet of horse ambulances and today we are proud to say we’ve done it,” Chair of the NZ Horse Ambulance Trust and General Manager of Welfare & Sustainability for NZ Thoroughbred Racing Martin Burns said. 

The NZ Horse Ambulance Trust was established in 2016 as a charity with the objective of funding a fleet of equine ambulances to help improve the health and welfare of horses across New Zealand. 

Since then, the Trust has raised $1.25 million, including a successful fundraising campaign in 2021 raising more than $100,000 to ‘Complete the Fleet’. 

“Having our fleet complete means we have the capacity to ensure all race meetings and equestrian events in New Zealand have a horse ambulance in attendance,” Burns said. 

“This is truly world - leading, as we are the only country that boasts a nationwide dedicated horse ambulance service, and puts equine welfare at the very heart of the industry.”