Another World (far side) bursts through for a victory under Lyle Hewitson that had seemed impossible 100m from home. (Pictures: HKJC)
Zac Purton is closing in on the 1813 race victories in Hong Kong record of Douglas Whyte.
He scored a double at Sha Tin on Sunday to go to 1805 wins, so is now within just eight of equalling Whyte’s record.
Lyle Hewitson produced an amazing finish to land a rare winner at Sha Tin on Sunday, but at present it is Luke Ferraris who is getting closest to making the breakthrough that the ex-pat South Africans are always aiming at.
The fortunes of the trio of ex-pat South Africans plying their trade there at present provides ample proof of how tough an environment it is for a jockey.
Keagan de Melo is having a particularly tough time this season.
Hewitson’s admirable professionalism enabled him to be back in the saddle just one week after a bad fall on December 15 and he has raked in two wins since then.
In the ninth race on Sunday, a class 4 event over 1400m, Hewitson was on the Benno Yung-trained Another World, a Kermadec four-year-old gelding who had won third time out over this course and distance.
He was paying HK$11.00 on the Tote and was drawn nine out of 14.
Lyle dropped him out and secured a rails position and had him beautifully relaxed.
In the straight the horse made up ground along the rail quickly after initially being baulked for a run.
However, just as he reached the leader, the second-placed horse shifted inward and slammed the gap Another World was about to take shut.
Lyle checked and wanted to angle outward but a quick backward glance told him he was not far enough clear of another horse running on that line.
Another World was still ambling around with a ton in hand and his supporters must have been throwing their tickets in the air in despair.
Andrea Atzeni had been the rider aboard the horse who had cut Another World off and due credit to him he as aware of what the Horse had done and corrected it.
This saw a gap opening for Another World at the 100m mark by which stage it was surely to late.
Howver, Lyle drove for the gap and the horse flew through it and got his nose down on the line with the help of Hewitson’s copybook left arm stretch to the top of the horse’s head.
He got up by a short-head and looks to be one to follow.
Lyle has now had nine wins this season, a disappointing return considering he had 50 wins two seasons ago and they are almost halfway through the season.
Meanwhile, Luke Ferraris had a winner on New Year’s s day to take him to 19 for the season and that puts him in lone fourth place on the log.
To put that into perspective the only jockeys ahead of him are Purton, Hugh Bowman and local hero Vincent Ho.
Ferraris is one win ahead of perennial top three incumbent Karis Teetan.
Furthermore, Ferraris has the joint second highest strike rate of 12% together with Hugh Bowman, only behind Purton’s 24%.
Keegan de Melo is having a dismal time of it and it would be no surprise to see him back in South Africa next season. It is hard to understand how a rider of his talent has only had 81 rides the whole season. Only three of the 24 who have race-ridden on the island this season have had less rides than Keegan.
He has remianed stuck on four wins since November 20, although he did at least have five rides at Sha Tin on Sunday. On the other hand that is only the third time this season he has had as many as five rides at a meeting.
