David Hall will thrust Invincible Sage into Group company next year after the talented young sprinter downed older opposition to claim the Class 2 Lukfook Jewellery Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (17 December) as Zac Purton dominated with a quartet.
Unbeaten this season over Sha Tin’s 1000m course, Invincible Sage will be set for the HK$4.2 million G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy Handicap (1000m) on 7 January as the lightly-raced gelding bids to continue an ascendent sweep.
Having only his sixth start, Invincible Sage (120lb) gave Zac Purton the third leg of a four-timer, sweeping to a three-quarter of a length margin over Carroll Street (120lb) and Wonder Kit (117lb) in 57.08s to confirm Hall’s opinion of the gelding.
“It’s exciting, and it’s always nice to win the Class 2 race,” Hall said. “Every run has been down the straight 1000m, so he’s becoming a bit of a track specialist. Each circumstance has been different in its own way. Today, they probably didn’t go as fast as I thought they would, so they didn’t string out as much.
“Zac was there quicker than he wanted to be. He was in front and didn’t have anything to chase, so it was a different race, but he had the class to get the win.”