Lyle Hewitson is elated as he lands his first Graded victory in Hong Kong in the Gr 3 January Cup and it coincided with trainer Francis’s Lui’s 1000th Hong Kong win (Picture: HKJC)
Lyle Hewitson produced a storming finish on the New Zealand-bred six-year-old gelding Speed Dragon to land the Gr 3 January Cup over 1800m at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
He was thrilled to land his first Graded race in Hong and there was then further elation when he returned to the winner’s enclosure to discover Speed Dragon had just brought up 1000 wins in Hong Kong for trainer Francis Lui.
Lui was champion trainer in the 2023/2024 season, but is more famous for being trainer of Golden Sixty, who became the first horse in history to win three consecutive Hong Kong Horse Of The Year titles and was the highest earning horse in world history before being overtaken by Romantic Warrior.
Lyle rode Speed Dragon on his Hong Kong debut back in November 2023, finishing fifth over 1600m, and later that season he rode him to a 4,5 length sixth in the country’s most prestigious local race, the HK$26 million Hong Kong Derby.
He said about clinching the ride for the January Cup, “He had a light weight and I asked for him at entries … and I was in the right place at the right time to get the ride.”
The January Cup is a handicap and Speed Dragon was set to sneak into the handicap with the minimum weight of 115 pounds, but Lyle rides to 117 pounds so he actually rode him 2 pounds overweight which makes the win all the more meritorious.
Lyle said, “He has improved this season and has been so good over track and trip. He continued his upward rise to pull it off.”
Lyle also spoke about his riding weight and said, “I can ride 117 pounds which is effectively 53kg, but it takes work to ride light, I don’t walk around that weight.”
He added, “It is not bad to still be riding 117/53kg all these years later considering I was just about the heaviest in my year and was doubtful to get in the Academy because of my weight!”
That is actually an amazing accolade to his professionalism.
Speed Dragon jumped from draw seven and Lyle managed to get him on to the rail in 8th position in the 12 horse field.
He was actually shuffled all the way back to last place as riders made up ground approching the final turn, but there was no sign of panic and he kept his mount in the hands.
He was a clear last entering the straight but as he began looking for a run it was clear he had a ton in hand.
Lyle switched him outward and then slightly inward as he waited patiently for a gap to open and as it did so he just needed to drive Speed Dragon through it with the hands.
He burst through to win more easily than the half-a-length margin suggests and returned a Tote dividend of 6.40.
Brett Crawford’s Irish-bred gelding Encountered, who won him his first Graded race on the island when landing the Gr 3 SA SA Ladies Purse over 1800m at Sha Tin, finished a 1,75 length fourth in the January Cup with Karis Teetan aboard.
Luke Ferraris also clinched a win at the meeting to go to 22 for the season, which puts him in third place on the log while Lyle Hewitson is on 17 wins and is in joint fifth place together with Karis Teetan.
Click here to read a full report on Wednesday’s Happy Valley meeting
