Pierre Ng believes Galaxy Patch has what it takes to win at Group 1 level and the trainer is remaining hopeful of celebrating elite level success at Sha Tin on Sunday, 27 April when his quality galloper lines up in the HK$24 million G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m).
Initially in pole position to fill the void vacated by Golden Sixty as Hong Kong’s premier miler, Galaxy Patch lost that mantle to Voyage Bubble, who has since raised his game with victories in both of Sha Tin’s Group 1 mile races this season to emerge as the division’s clear standout.
Across 18 starts in Hong Kong, Galaxy Patch has displayed brilliant potential, while also suffering agonising defeats at the top-level, however, his impressive record is headlined by seven wins and earnings of HK$29.60 million, and Ng isn’t expecting to diverge from the gelding’s customary late-closing tactics in a bid to capture an elusive first Group 1 when champion jockey Zac Purton retains the ride this weekend.
“He just didn’t finish off when we tried to race him forward like we did in the Gold Cup. He has to be left alone until the home straight, then find a way out and hopefully luck is going our way,” Ng said. “His racing pattern needs to be smooth and then he needs to be lucky enough. He always gives us very good sectionals at the end of races and he was unlucky last time.”
Galaxy Patch kicked off his 2024/25 campaign with a HK$5.35 million G2 Sha Tin Trophy Handicap (1600m) score last October before five successive defeats. The five-year-old is a dual Group 3 winner and was second in the 2024 HK$13 million G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m), 2024 HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and 2025 HK$13 million G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m).