Patrick Lee took training honors with a winning double at the Friday night mixed turf and sand card at Taipa on January 18 to take him to 14 winners for the season and fourth spot in the trainer’s standings.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Lee started the night when favorite Diamond Princess overcame traffic problems in the straight under Peter Ho to snatch victory right on the line in the first event the Class 5 over 1200 metres.
Diamond Princess a daughter of Ferocity is a half sister to Lee’s former super sand sprinter Good Control and broke through for her maiden victory after 16 attempts.
The filly has penalized herself on numerous occasions with bad getaways but has always shown some ability and is capable of winning a few more in the lower grade.
The Tornado ridden by Louis Corrales gave Lee a quick double for the night when he powered to the line late in a thrilling five horse finish to win in the 0 to 50 Special Conditions race from Macau Warrior (Luis Jurado), with the unlucky China Cheers (Boo Minho) close in third with a dead heat for fourth between favorite Power Sequalo and The Dragon.
Korean rider Boo Minho did a super job to stay in the saddle on China Cheers after his saddle slipped at the top of the straight. Minho lost the use of both irons but was still punching China Cheers out to the line and was no doubt the best of good things beaten, denying him his first Macau victory.
Only three quarters of a length separated the first five runners with only a half length back to the sixth place-getter Pearl Tahiti.
Lee has the second largest stable in the enclave with 41 horses behind Alan Tam (44) and Gary Moore who has a yard of 37.
A long standing servant of the Macau Jockey Club, Lee commenced his career as an apprentice with the Macau Trotting Club back in the late eighties.
After some time spent in Hong and Kong and Australia to further his experience Lee returned to Macau in 1996 and became an assistant trainer to Tommy Tse.
One year later Lee commenced training in his own right and has always ranked in the top four or five conditioners in the enclave on winners.
A Trainer’s Championship has eluded him to date but he was runner up in both the 2010 and 2011 racing seasons behind Gary Moore and looks to have a handy team of young horses in his quest for the crown this year.
* WITH Manoel Nunes taking up a six month contract in Singapore the Macau jockeys title is up for grabs with Louis Corrales emerging as a prime contender.
A winning treble on Friday night has seen the Panamanian rider move into a clear second behind Manoel Nunes who for the present holds pride of place on 38 winners.
Corrales is now on 21 victories and five ahead of Filipino horseman Martin Cangas (16) with apprentice Frankie Choi next on 14 just ahead of Stanley Chin on 13.
Corrales three winners were The Tornado for Patrick Lee, Voguish for Tony Fung (Class 5) and Haayil Shadow (Class 3 & 4) for W T Lai.
A product of the MJC’s Apprentice School, Corrales dominated the apprentice ranks in the 1999 and 2000 racing seasons.
He was runner up to Irishman Robbie Burke in 2002, and again to South African Gavan Van Zyl in 2003, and then placed third behind Brazilian Fausto Durso in the 2008 season.
Two time Macau Champion Fausto Durso would have been most peoples choice as successor to the crown given that he has chased Nunes home in just about every other year, but with a late start to the season Durso on 4 winners is giving away a huge start to Corrales, albeit with still over seven months to the end of the season.
Stanley Chin who is yet to win a Macau title emerges as the next leading contender and is doing the bulk of the riding for the powerful Gary Moore yard so has a real chance this season to snare his first title.
Martin Cangas is off to a great start to the season and whist he will not have the support of Corrales, Durso and Chin, Cangas is riding well and is a legitimate chance of finishing in the top four.
The dark horse may well apprentice Charles Perkins who is back after lengthy spell through injury.
With four winners from as many meetings back in the saddle, Perkins did a remarkable job in his first season winning 28 races from 148 rides in under six months of riding, giving him a strike rate of 19% second only to Manoel Nunes.
Complications from a fall suffered in May have kept French born Perkins sidelined for the last four months but he is back riding with plenty of confidence again, and is capable of giving the others a run for their money.
