Trainer Stephen Chow produced a future star with his debut runner Top Vegetable who was never out of second gear in recording a big maiden win over 1050 metres on the sand at Taipa on Saturday.
A son of the Champion Argentinean Miler for 2004 in Mr. Nancho, Top Vegetable landed on the bridle out of the gates for jockey Wayne Smith and from then on it was simply a working gallop, to win eased down by four lengths on the line.
Whilst it was only a maiden event with not a lot depth form wise, it was the ease of the win and the time of 1.02.3 that caught the eye with Wayne Smith declaring the gelding Class 1 material.
“He’s a horse we’ve liked for a long time.” Smith said.
“I’ve been on his back pretty much since day one and he is just so natural for a big horse.”
“He’s untapped so far as he’s never been pushed out in a gallop, he’s class one material for sure.”
Stephen Chow purchased Top Vegetable as a yearling privately for owner Mr. Wong Ching Keung and left the now four year old in New Zealand to mature before bringing him to Macau in January this year.
“He is a very big horse so I gave him plenty of time to mature.”
“He showed plenty of ability from day one so I wanted to look after him.” Chow said.
The day didn’t end there for Chow with two other New Zealand imports Wealthy Fortune and Classical Music winning for him in races three and four.
Progressive four year old Wealthy Fortune picked up his third win from eight starts with a strong display of speed away from the gates to lead under apprentice Charles Perkins before bounding away in the straight to win easily in the Class 3 over 1050 metres sand.
A son of Falkirk Wealthy Fortune is just as adept on the turf as well as the all weather and his run time on Saturday of 1.01.8 for the trip was excellent.
Classical Music again under Charles Perkins rounded out the day for Stephen Chow with a good win in the Class 4 & 5 over 1500 metres on the turf.
It was win number two for Classical Music who has been consistent for the most part but not suited in recent runs by the wet tracks.
Steven Chow’s treble for the weekend bought his tally up to 21 winners for the season from his 215 runners to date.
*CHARLES Perkins jets out of Macau on a high note following a double on the weekend bound for New Zealand to represent Macau in the Asian Young Guns Challenge Series, at the Waikato Race Club’s Te Rapa track next Saturday.
Its’ been a great year for the young Frenchman who has posted 31 winners and 46 placed efforts from his 186 rides this season. Thirty of his winners have been since January 4th when he returned to the saddle after having almost four months of the season off through injury.
In only a total of 12 months in the saddle Perkins has managed 59 winners and maintained a strike rate equal to our top riders in the enclave Manoel Nunes and Fausto Durso.
Perkins joins a star studded line up of apprentices in New Zealand including last year’s winner of the Series Alvin Ng from Hong Kong, along with Singapore’s Harry Kasim who is proving to be a revelation in the Lion City with 43 winners so far this year, and is on song to break Benny Woodworth’s record of 56 wins in a season.
Australia’s representative 17 year old Jordan Childs is the son of former Champion jockey Greg Childs and has ridden 36 winners in his short career to date.
As the host country New Zealand has two reps in star junior rider Rory Hutchings who kicked home 61 winners last season and Miranda Dravitzki who will become the first female rider to compete in the Series.
Yuji Hishia at age 20 represents Japan, with 24 year old W T Chung riding for Malaysia, Kim Hyan Joon also 24 years of age carrying the flag for Korea and 20 year old Julius Mariba representing South Africa.
The Series will be decided over three races on Group 3 Foxbridge Plate day next Saturday.
