After setting a new Hong Kong wins record (1,814) on Wednesday night (22 January) at Happy Valley, leading rider Zac Purton starred with a four-timer at Sha Tin on Sunday afternoon (26 January) – headlined by a Class 2 double on the 11-race programme.
Masterfully handled by Purton, Sunlight Power dominated the HK$3.12 million Class 2 Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Hong Kong, China Team Celebration Cup Handicap (1600m) before the Australian’s exceptional skill was on full display again atop Gorgeous Win in the HK$2.84 million Class 2 Para Equestrian 1200m Handicap.
Trained by Ricky Yiu, Sunlight Power paid 1.4 to win. Purton said: “He had the right weight in this race, he drew the right barrier (one), he got a charmed run the whole way and because he had the fence, he was quite comfortable to ride.
“He can normally hang in and do a few things wrong but he gave me a great ride and he did everything right and did a good job.”
Skimming the rail from gate one, Sunlight Power (121lb) hit the lead at the 250m mark with Purton. Untouched over the concluding stages, Sunlight Power clocked 1m 34.64s ahead of Yellowfin (118lb) and Karma (123lb).