Charity Fun has earned a tilt at the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap (2400m) next month after overcoming mid-race difficulties to continue Zac Purton and Danny Shum’s burgeoning coalition with victory in the Class 2 Cedar Handicap (1800m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (14 April).
Inconvenienced during the pivotal stages of what Purton described as a “messy race”, Charity Fun stamped his authority on the contest to notch his third win from five starts – while earning a High Achievement Bonus of HK$1 million in addition to the HK$1.254 million winners’ purse.
The bonus is available to horses with a minimum rating of 80 who wins a Class 2 race before turning five.
The success was the 25th shared in the 2020/21 season by Purton and Shum and the pair’s 12th victory since the start of March, preserving the hopes of both in the jockeys’ and trainers’ championships.
Purton boosted his tally to 95 with a treble, leaving the Australian 17 behind Joao Moreira, who has 112 wins for the term after a midweek double, while Shum moved into outright third in the trainers’ title after registering his 50th win for the season to trail only John Size (56) and Caspar Fownes (54).
“The pace was not perfect for him tonight but the horse has got a big heart,” Shum said.
“He can go to the Queen Mother Memorial Cup at Sha Tin in May now – he deserves his chance.