With the Macau racing season closing on Sunday, and it’s the Macau Derby winner Cheers Brothers who’s all-out for the Macau Gold Cup, the final leg of the Triple Crown.
In being run over 1800m on turf and for 4YO and Upwards, it’s again drawn the best of the Macau Derby and Macau Guineas fields with Eric Chun to again ride Cheers Brothers.
Donning the pink cap of saddlecloth 8, and stating from Barrier 10 of 12 runners, he races in the light blue, with yellow chevron silks of Hong Kong television host Eric Tsang and partners.
In coming off four consecutive victories over 1800m, Cheers Brothers almost fell in the Macau Derby when entering the straight, and is this season’s HK$1.96m top-earner for trainer Joe Lau.
A 5yo bay or brown gelding, he’s by the highly fashionable Deep Field from three times winner Balmoral Baby, sired by Red Ransom, and the family of Auckland Gold Cup placed Upstage.
Originally a 2018 Melbourne Inglis Great Southern Sale weanling pin-hook on account of Rosemont Stud, he went onto be a $150,000 graduate of the NZ Karaka 2019 Yearling Book 1 Sale.
In addition, Joe Lau has the 2021 Macau Guineas winner City Gold starting from Gate 2 for Shi Haz Huang, Sacred Magnate in 4 with Kam Fai Choi and Snow Storm with Horace Lam from 6.
Macau’s all-time champion Luis Corrales again rides the Macau Guineas winner Bygone Era for trainer Victor Chan, having been unable to hold off the speedy Cheers Brothers in the Macau Derby.
In being the Champion Jockey for the record 7th season, he amassed 79 wins and earnings of HK$16m, with a 26% win and 57% place ration, and also took out the Bonus Cup on Cumberbatch.
The Panamanian born Luis Corrales won his first Macau Jockeys’ Premiership in the 2012-13 which he held for four years to 2016-17, before retaining it in 2019-20, and holding until now.
A graduate of the Macau Jockey Club’s Apprentice School, and the only locally trained apprentice jockey to win a Senior Jockeys’ Premiership, he was Champion Apprentice 1999 and 2000.
With Bygone Era racing in the black and white quartered silks of Tam Via Lam, who also finished the season as Macau Leading Owner with his 6 horses winning 12 races and $3.15m in stakes.
In drawing Barrier 9, Bygone Era has the Macau Derby Trial winner Yuanno, outside him in 12 for Japanese born rider Masa Tanaka, trainer Rick Choi and owner Yuan Wenzhong,
With the Macau Derby Trial being a prelude to the Triple Crown series, Yuanno was third to Cheers Brothers in the Derby, having been a length second to Bygone Era in the Macau Guineas.
With Macau’s Leading Racehorse in Desi Prince not accepting for the Macau Gold Cup, its now open for the 4yo colt Bravo Cyclone to seal victory and be Champion Racehorse for 2021-22.
Second to Desi Prince in the Macau Star of Sand Stakes over 1600m, and previously third to Star of Yiu Cheng in the Chairman’s Challenge Cup, Bravo Cyclone had won his three previous starts.
With jockey Roger Lu to jump from 7, and in the red and white colours of Li Yong, he’s is the family of Singapore champion Grand Jury, being by the Flying Childers Stakes winner Sir Prancealot.
An exciting Champion Trainer Premiership also concludes on Sunday with Tony Fung leading on 39 wins, and with a 15% win and 33% place ratio his runners have earned $8.29m in stakes.
Having surged one win ahead of Stanley Chin on 38 wins, and being the highest takes earner with $8.8m, it could be down to the final race where both have emergency acceptors.
However, Champion Apprentice Xiao Chuan Liang is all the talk, with his 24 winning rides also placed him fourth on the Champion Jockey’s table, and has Electroplate Alloy in the Gold Cup.
A product of the successful Jockey Training Programme to re-train former jockeys and riders to fill the void created by COVID-19, he had also ridden with success in Beijing and Guangdong.
