Tomodachi Kokoroe (128lb) has been one of this season’s best improvers and he’s aiming to join a select club when he shoots for a fifth win this season in Wednesday night’s (13 March) Class 2 Soko Islands Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley.
Only two horses have won five races or more this term, I Give (six) and Happy Together (five), while Tomodachi Kokoroe has been a revelation for trainer David Hayes, netting his quartet across the past seven starts.
A six-time winner in Australia pre-import, Tomodachi Kokoroe raced in the state of Queensland for the bulk of his career – where he was undefeated – scoring four times at Cairns and twice at Townsville, when known as Bank Bank Bank.
“It’s quite amazing to think a horse who has come from Cairns is doing what he is doing in Hong Kong – amazing effort,” Hayes said. “When he arrived and I read the form I was a bit worried about Cairns, but when I started working him, he always worked like a good horse.”
The 91-rater has career earnings of HK$6.81 million in Hong Kong. He won a hot Class 1 last month at Happy Valley, which saw him share DBS x Manulife Million Challenge top honours, while his previous three wins have come in Class 3 and Class 4.
“He’s really held his form well, he’s won his last two starts from wide barriers (seven and 12), so they were good efforts – great rides by Karis Teetan,” Hayes said.