A winning double on the mixed sand and turf card on August 23 has seen Panamanian Louis Corrales draw level with Brazilian Fausto Durso in the jockeys’ premiership race, setting the stage for an exciting battle over the final two race days of the season.
Photo by Press Photo
Corrales has been on fire in recent weeks winning nine races so far for the month of August as opposed to the quiet spell Durso has experienced with only two winners.
Durso managed to bounce back with one winner on the night to see both riders locked on 46 winners each.
A product of the MJC’s Apprentice School, Corrales is yet to taste Championship glory and should he prevail will create history in becoming the first locally trained apprentice to win the Jockeys’ Championship in the Clubs’ 24 year history.
After dominating the Apprentice ranks in the 1999 and 2000 racing season’s, Corrales was runner up in the Jockeys’ Championship to Irishman Robbie Burke in 2002 and again the following year in 2003 to South African Gavan Van Zyl, and then placed third behind Fausto Durso in the 2008 year.
Durso is in pursuit of his third Macau Jockeys’ Title having taken honors in the 2006 – 2007 year with 86 winners and again in 2007 – 2008 with 78 victories.
New Zealand import Captain Genuki from Louis Ho yard was the first of Corrales winners on Friday night when he broke through for his first win in over a year to take out the Class 4 & 5 over 1350 metres sand.
A son the former Champion British Two Year Colt of 2001 in Captain Rio, Captain Genuki made it win number four in Macau with all his victories coming on the all weather surface.
Aluminium Alloy another former N Z galloper made up a double for Corrales when he saluted in the Class 5 1500 metres turf per medium of a nice rails ride by the diminutive horseman.
The victory gave Corrales a one win lead over Durso who then kicked back in the last of the day the Class 3 over 1500 metres turf on the Patrick Lee prepared Golden Harbour who relished the soft conditions to win from race favorite Energy Gladiator (Andrew Calder).
Both jockeys will be pulling out all stops for Friday and Saturdays race days with Corrales quietly confident he can claim his first title.
“Yeah it’s looking good at the moment.” Corrales said.
“I’ve got some good rides and I think I have a great chance of winning three or four races.”
“If I can do that I think I can secure the title, but you can never underestimate Durso.”
French apprentice Charles Perkins who rode Golden Well Bo Bo to victory in the Class 3 & 4 over 1200 metres turf is well clear in the apprentice title race on 32 winners nine clear of Frankie Choi, to give him his second consecutive apprentice championship.
* AN upset win by US import Beautiful Sunday in Friday night’s Class 1 has capped off a great week for owner /breeder Norman Cheng.
Given a lovely ride by Stanley Chin, Beautiful Sunday was able to hold on to score by a neck from the fast finishing Power Regimental (Horace Lam), with Gruenfeld (Kelvin Abobo) in third.
Beautiful Sunday was bred by Norman Cheng from his mare Viapervita (IRE) whom he bought out of Germany to race in the USA but was ultimately retired to stud due to injury.
Cheng had one of his sweetest moments in racing last Saturday when his gallopers Oakcrest Drive and Brother Francis, horses that he bred himself fought out the $1 million dollar Group 1 Star Of the Sand Stakes.
Brother Francis is a half brother to Beautiful Sunday with the five year old mare now having posted four win’s in Macau and one in the USA.
Norman Cheng made his name originally as one of Hong Kong’s early pop stars with the band Teddy Robin and the Playboys before emerging as one of the most influential music executives in South East Asia, firstly with Polygram and then later with Universal Records.
A longtime supporter of the Macau Jockey Club, Cheng has raced many top class gallopers around the globe.
Race favorite Luck Of Smiling a noted barrier rogue was on his worst behavior on the night flicking the rider Charles Perkins off behind the gates and refused to load for some time.
The six year came out of the gates awfully and gave away at least six lengths early, and from then on had the job ahead of him eventually finishing in eight place five lengths away.
