A David Hayes treble at Sha Tin on Sunday (18 May) has breathed fresh life into the 2024/25 Hong Kong trainers’ championship, as the Australian moved to within six wins of compatriot and 12-time champion John Size with 16 meetings left in the season.

Hayes dominated with the performances of Oriental Smoke, Solid Shalaa and World Hero to reach 50 wins for the campaign, raising hopes of a third Hong Kong trainers’ championship having earlier trailed Size by 11 wins this season.

“John is hard to catch, being six ahead, but if he has a quiet couple of weeks and I have a good couple of weeks, it could get close,” Hayes said. “It’s been a good day, but John is hard to catch.

“There’s a glimmer of hope. I’ve got a lot of young horses that are going to start running that are trialling well, but basically I have to keep going and John has to stop to win. Every time John trains a winner, it’s hard, but it’s worth giving it a go.”

Hayes won the Hong Kong trainers’ title in 1997/98 & 1998/99 and today’s three-timer took his career tally in the city to 657.

Oriental Smoke was the first to strike for Zac Purton in the Class 4 Members’ Care@HKJC Handicap (1800m) before Solid Shalaa’s scored in the Class 3 The Members Cup Handicap (1200m, dirt). Near the tail of the field on the home turn, Solid Shalaa finished brilliantly under Ellis Wong to snatch victory late – his second in as many starts.

World Hero was the third leg of Hayes’ treble, dictating from the front under Alexis Badel to land the Class 4 Sha Tin Clubhouse Handicap (1400m).

Four-time Hong Kong champion trainer Caspar Fownes was rewarded for his patience and expertise when unraced Dancing Classics landed the Class 4 The Beijing Clubhouse Cup Handicap (1000m) with an impressive debut performance.

Since arriving in Hong Kong in July, 2023 as a two-year-old, the Press Statement gelding has travelled often between Sha Tin and Conghua as he struggled to overcome soundness issues, which sidelined for him all of 2024.

But the four-year-old – owned by Hong Kong celebrity Aaron Kwok – needed only 55.57s to vindicate Fownes’ persistence after jumping cleanly from barrier 12, withstanding heavy pressure from runner-up Fun Elite before forging clear over the final 200m in 21.79s to win by a length with Heroic Master third.

“It’s very expensive to keep paying up for these horses and it’s very rewarding. It means a lot. He’s had a lot of issues,” Fownes said of the four-year-old. “When you know they’ve got potential and they’ve just constantly got issues and you bring them back.

“He’s (Dancing Classics) got a very big engine. We just hope now that he pulls up well and we’ve got a horse for the end of the season coming in with a fresh pair of legs. Hopefully (Aaron Kwok) can get rewarded for being an amazing owner and being so patient and believing.”

Bowman was also impressed.

“He’s a horse that’s shown a bit – a fair bit, actually. I trialled him at Conghua some months ago (3 January) and I was very excited by him and he’s been plagued by a few niggling issues between then and now, so it’s taken a bit of time,” he said.

“My second ride on him was during the week (Monday, 12 May). I bounced him down the back and I was pretty satisfied he could come here and perform well and he did that with flying colours. He’s got improvement to come and he’s an exciting, young horse.”

Italian Andrea Atzeni snared his 100th victory in Hong Kong when Ricky Yiu debutante Blazing Wukong won the Class 4 The Hilltop In The Valley Handicap (1200m). Currently third in the 2024/25 jockeys’ championship, Atzeni first competed in Hong Kong during a brief 2014/15 campaign when he rode three winners, returning last season to post 48 wins.

“It’s great to get to that number (100 Hong Kong wins). I didn’t realise I was that close,” Atzeni said. “I had obviously forgotten the three winners I had ridden 10 years ago.

“To get to 100 is pretty good and it’s great to do it with Ricky and (owner) Jason (Chan) is a good friend of mine – I’ve ridden Nimble Nimbus for him – and this horse (Blazing Wukong) is a nice horse.”

Manfred Man and Britney Wong snared the first two races of the meeting, successfully combining with Tsuen Wan Glory in the Class 5 Celebrating Timeless Tradition Handicap (1400m) and Hong Kong International Sale graduate Patch Of Watch in the Class 5 Ownership Pride Handicap (1200m, dirt).

Patch Of Watch presented Wong, 25, with her 16th victory of the campaign – with half of those coming for Man from 36 rides.

“Very good double to start off the day,” Wong said. “I’m grateful for all the opportunities Manfred has given me.”

Frankie Lor’s Fun N Fun Together broke through for Purton in the Class 4 Racing Heritage Handicap (1200m, dirt) before Francis Lui’s Moduleconstruction made it two wins in a row with success in the Class 3 Beas River Country Club Handicap (1200m) under Lyle Hewitson.

Chris So-trained Winning Gold slotted his fifth win from only 19 starts with success in the Class 3 Shenzhen Centre Handicap (1600m) as James Orman registered his seventh win of the season.

Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (21 May).