Keagan de Melo showed his class in the last race at Sha Tin today (Pictures: HKJC)
Keagan de Melo’s support in Hong Kong has dried up, but that has not stopped the talented former SA Champion Jockey winning two races this season from a paltry 13 rides.
There have been eight meetings in Hong Kong this season and he did have a suspension which saw him missing at least one meeting.
He has only ridden in six of the meetings, so is averaging about two rides a meeting.
This abysmal support is a complete mystery considering how skilled a rider he is.
What is even more surprisimg is the quality of ride he is getting.
The dividend of his first eleven rides this season for a R1 unit on the comingled Tote were R32, R77, R19, R13, R17, R137, R48, R191,R 59, R124 and R22.
He took advantage of that relatively fancied horse in the eleventh ride, paying a dividend of R22, to get his first winner of the season.
That was on Sunday September 22 at Sha Tin on the David Hayes-trained handy type Harmony ‘N Blessed and he rode a finely judged race from draw five. He had the eight-year-old Australian-bred Magnus gelding up just off the pace from draw five. However, he reserved enough in typical De Melo style and Harmony ‘N Blessed duly found extra in the straight to win by a comfortable 1,25 lengths. Hayes’ decision to stick with De Melo after he had finished fourth on Harmony ‘N Blessed in his previous start, when he was paying R32 on the comingled Tote, had paid dividends.
Keagan then missed the next two meetings, with at least one of them being due to suspension, and made his comeback today with just two rides.
He finished sixth on a horse paying R35 in the 6th race.
Then in the tenth and last race, a class 3 event over 1400m, Keagan was on the Chris So-trained favourite Winning Gold, who was paying R4.90 on the comingled Tote.
De Melo had ridden this Australian-bred four-year-old Brazen Beau gelding to two successive victories over this course and distance at the end of last season, so was going for a hattrick on him.
He knows him well as the only jockey to have ever ridden him in seven previous starts and from draw eleven was content to just sit on him from the off as he dropped back to third last. He held the ear-muffed horse back behind the pack until switching him out at the top of the straight.
“And Winning Gold is a long way back!” said the commentator.
However, he crept up steadily under the hands. This was followed by a hands drive and then a first crack of the whip from the patient De Melo at about the 150m mark. Winning Gold surged forward and won by a cosy half-a-length. It was the ride of a champion.
Hong Kong racing is renowned for a riders’ perceived luckiness being an important factor, so De Melo having now won twice in his last three rides is not certain to see him winning more support.
Hopefully, it will get his season rolling though.
Lyle Hewitson also had a winner on the day. He goes to four wins for the season from 51 rides.
Luke Ferarris has had three wins from 30 rides.
De Melo has only had two wins but from only 13 rides.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club carried the following article on today’s meeting:
Leo Schlink
Beauty Waves continued an impressive rise through Hong Kong’s sprint ranks with victory in the HK$4.2 million G3 National Day Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin on Tuesday (1 October) as Pierre Ng and Alexis Badel combined successfully with the former Irish speedster.
Beaten last start by highly-rated Ka Ying Rising, Beauty Waves took his record since joining Ng’s stable to four wins, two seconds and a third from seven starts, while Badel posted his second victory in the National Day Cup after previously winning it on Super Wealthy.
Settling fifth behind pace-setter Nervous Witness, Beauty Waves (115lb) forged stylishly into contention as Badel allowed the Starspangledbanner gelding to build momentum before striking the lead 150 metres from the line to down Magic Control (115lb) by half a length.
Whizz Kid (115lb) was third, a further three quarters of a length away in 55.72s.
Last year’s winner Stoltz was scratched on veterinary grounds before the race, while G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) winner Invincible Sage (135lb) finished sixth, four lengths behind Beauty Waves.
Pierre Ng will take a conservative approach with Beauty Waves.
Pierre Ng will take a conservative approach with Beauty Waves.
Ng indicated his planning with Beauty Waves would be dictated by how high the 93-rater rises in the handicap following today’s triumph.
“He improves every race for me. Last time we were running against a very good horse (Ka Ying Rising) and he still ran second. He did everything well today,” Ng said. “We’ll see how many points he’s going to be put up.”
Badel said: “I was confident. He’s a good horse, he only got beaten last time by a very special horse. Coming back to a shorter trip didn’t worry me. He’s got class and he’s got speed. He began very well and I didn’t want to face the breeze the whole way. I was just trying to rate him as good as possible and his class with the light weight (115lb) made the difference.”
With eight winners for the season, Ng maintained his lead at the top of the trainers’ championship over Danny Shum, Caspar Fownes and Mark Newnham – all with seven wins – when Drombeg Banner claimed the Class 2 Beijing Handicap (1400m) under Andrea Atzeni.
Hugh Bowman made a successful return from illness with a double. The Australian sprang into action atop The Khan for Fownes in the Class 5 Shenyang Handicap (1400m) after being sidelined for Saturday’s (28 September) Sha Tin meeting and missing the winning rides on Daily Trophy and Rubylot.
“I wouldn’t say I’m all over it (the illness), but my balance is back so that is the main thing,” Bowman said before piloting David Hall-trained Geneva to victory in the first section of the Class 4 Chongqing Handicap (1200m).
Dennis Yip snared a double with Great Spirit, who won the first section of the Class 4 Chongqing Handicap (1200m) under Matthew Poon and View Of The World, winner of the Class 4 Chengdu Handicap (1400m) for Zac Purton.
“He’s a nice horse. Last season he had two races and finished very well,” Yip said of View Of The World. “I know he can stay 1400m and I spoke to Zac after his Happy Valley trial and he said he would be fine. I decided to run over 1400m so Zac could ride for me.
“Later on, he might be able to go to a mile, he’s a very honest horse. We’ll stay at 1400m for now and let him mature for one or two races.”
Packing Power remains undefeated
Purton secured a double when Shum’s Packing Power maintained his unbeaten record after three starts with a strong win in the Class 3 Shanghai Handicap (1200m).
“He’s getting more switched on with his race craft every start, which is good,” Purton said. “It was nice that we were to get across in the manner that we did, but what I liked the most was the way he relaxed during the mid-stages of the race – he was off the bit, just cruising along waiting for the signal.
“It’s a good sign. So, he’ll give himself a chance to run a mile when he needs to. We’ll take our time.”
Michael Chang and Jerry Chau combined with Commanding Missile to land the Class 5 Nanning Handicap (1200m) before Newnham teamed with Lyle Hewitson to win the Class 4 Jinan Handicap (1800m) with Happy Hero.
“He’s been a really good horse for the stable. He was our first winner in Hong Kong and now he’s got four wins and he’s graduated out of Class 5. He’s still improving,” Newnham said.
“He had a nice light weight (118lb) and had the benefit of having had a race already this season. Once he got in the clear he really let down strongly.
“I love him to bits because he’s a really genuine horse. When he arrived, he had 10 starts and hadn’t run closer than eighth but I wasn’t in a position to be fussy. He really hasn’t put a foot wrong and he’s a really solid, durable and tough horse.”
Brazen Beau gelding Winning Gold made it three wins in a row after steaming home under Keagan De Melo to land the Class 3 Tianjin Handicap (1400m) and shapes as a possible Four-Year-Old Classic Series contender for trainer Chris So.
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday (6 October).
