Little Paradise and Invincible Ibis remain locked on course for a HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) showdown on 1 February after the pair posted emphatic victories at Sha Tin on Sunday (11 January) as Zac Purton dominated with five wins.

Little Paradise (122lb) crowned Purton’s quintet and the eight-time champion Purton was effusive in his praise of the Toronado gelding after he earned a PPG bonus of HK$1 million with victory in the Class 2 Racing Club Cup Handicap (1400m) for Jimmy Ting, defeating Infinite Resolve (116lb) and Mid Winter Wind (117lb) in 1m 20.84s.

“It was a really good effort. He’s progressive, a lovely horse to ride. He relaxes nicely. It was a good, strong field. He ran a good time, he did a good job,” said Purton, who has the choice of several Hong Kong Classic Mile rides, including Invincible Ibis and Beauty Bolt.

Trainer Jimmy Ting is hopeful Purton will stay with Little Paradise in the Hong Kong Classic Mile after the classy four-year-old downed a string of older rivals.

“He’s a very nice horse. After every race, he keeps improving. I’ve always thought the mile would be the horse’s best distance. He has been a bit keen before but now he’s much more calm,” Ting said.

Purton (59 wins) stretched his lead to 33 over Hugh Bowman (26) in a remarkable display of sustained excellence – and it could have been six wins had he not honoured a pledge to partner Beauty Bolt (134lb) in the Class 3 (Restricted) Pak Shek Au Handicap (1600m), only to finish to second to another of his regular rides, Invincible Ibis (135lb), who was partnered by Bowman.

Bowman was impressed with Mark Newnham’s rising star Invincible Ibis, who weaved his way into clear running after dropping to the tail of the field before finishing powerfully to defeat Beauty Bolt by a neck in 1m 34.18s.

“Invincible Ibis was very straight forward. I didn’t expect to be so far back but I was reluctant to pressure him just to hold a position and he enjoyed being left alone,” Bowman said. “I was in a position – to avoid traffic – that I had to make a long run on him and he coped with that, too.

“And when I needed his effort at the 100 metres mark, he did it with consummate ease.”

Newnham said: “He’s putting up quite a good record now and the nice part about the race was when it got a bit tough and he had to stretch the last part to beat Beauty Bolt, he did. So, he’s got good ability, but he’s got good heart.

“You can only keep winning and he’s put four together now, so he goes there (Hong Kong Classic Mile) in good form.”

Newnham reclaimed top-spot in the trainers’ championship from Caspar Fownes to lead with 30 wins to 29 when fellow four-year-old Lucky Sam Gor (116lb) defied his rivals to clinch the Class 3 Stanley Gap Handicap (1400m) under Matthew Poon.

Apart from Little Paradise, Purton also struck aboard Ricky Yiu’s Snowthorn (135lb) in the Class 5 Chek Keng Handicap (1200m), Pierre Ng’s Majestic Valour (135lb) in the second section of the Class 4 Wu Kai Sha Handicap (1200m), Robot Star (127lb) for Manfred Man in the second section of the Class 4 Wu Kau Tang Handicap (1400m) and David Hayes’ China Win (128lb) in the Class 4 Hebe Haven Handicap (1800m).

“Robot Star was good, he probably wants further – seven furlongs was a bit sharp for him – and he was good through the line, he was unexposed,” Purton said.

“China Win, he’s not an easy horse to manage in the mornings – very, very difficult. The boys are doing a good job to manage him as well as they are and on a race day, he doesn’t know what he wants to do in a race. One day, he wants to scream long, the next day he wants to drop out.

“But when the penny drops, he’ll turn into a handy enough stayer. It was a good effort – he had the race run to suit.”

Young Emperor (126lb) saluted at 67/1 for David Eustace and Luke Ferraris in the Class 3 Hung Mui Kuk Handicap (1200m) before Money Catcher (117lb) turned back the clock for Frankie Lor and Derek Leung with his first win in three years with success in the Class 3 Pak Sha O Handicap (1800m).

Twice placed at Group 1 level, the eight-year-old finished third in the 2022 G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) behind Romantic Warrior and Danon The Kid, but had not won since his G3 January Cup Handicap (1800m) victory at Happy Valley in 2023.

“It was worth the wait. When he came to Hong Kong, he kept placing and it was difficult to win. He won two races and after that, he was always close but did start to run some bad races and it allowed a drop down to Class 3,” Lor said.

The pace was quick, so he could come from behind and win for his patient owner. I’m happy because he’s an eight-year-old who can still win and it’s great for the owner.”

Three-year-old Elite Golf (127lb) impressively won the first section of the Class 4 Wu Kai Sha Handicap (1200m) under Harry Bentley for Chris So, while Rezeki (128lb) notched his first win in Hong Kong for David Hall with success in the first section of the Class 4 Wu Kau Tang Handicap (1400m) under a perfect ride by Andrea Atzeni.

Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday (14 January) with the running of the HK$4.2 million G3 January Cup Handicap (1800m).