Francis Lui Kin-wai hopes Copartner Prance can handle the step up to Class Two company when his in-form galloper bids for a fifth consecutive win at Sha Tin on Saturday.
Having been prolific at Happy Valley in his past four starts, Copartner Prance will look to continue his impressive form when he returns to Sha Tin for the first time since February in the Class Two Lung Mun Road Handicap (1,200m).
After failing to secure a win in his first four starts in Hong Kong, the four-year-old son of Epaulette began his winning streak at Happy Valley with a comfortable one-and-a-quarter-length success in March. He relished the Happy Valley 1,200m, winning by the same margin on his next start before pulling one and a half lengths clear of his Class Three rivals on May 1. Copartner Prance defied a heavy weight in his latest outing on May 15, and trainer Lui is confident he can handle the change in surroundings when he jumps from barrier eight on Saturday.
“I think he’ll be OK [at Sha Tin], he’s been racing there before,” Lui said. “If I wait for Happy Valley to race him it’s too long. I think he can win at both tracks.”
While Copartner Prance has risen 30 points in the ratings for his four wins, Lui believes his speedster is taking a step forward after every run. “He’s still fit and I don’t know how he’ll get on,” Lui said. “He keeps improving but not big improvements – he takes it little by little. It’s hard to say whether he’ll keep improving next season. Sometimes they improve a lot and then just stop.”
Zac Purton will put his unblemished record on Copartner Prance on the line, having ridden him in each of his four Happy Valley triumphs. The pair face eight rivals including the David Hayes-trained Tomodachi Kokoroe and Danny Shum Chap-shing’s progressive three-year-old Gorgeous Win.
Lui’s pursuit of a first trainers’ championship continues in the final stages of the season, with the 65-year-old trainer looking to level with Pierre Ng Pang-chi by sending an eight-strong team to Saturday’s meeting. Lui sits one win behind Ng on 60 for the season and hopes Baby Crystal can go one better than his latest outing in the Class Three Tuen Mun Public Riding School Handicap (1,000m). Baby Crystal has notched three wins from his past five starts but must overcome the widest gate over the straight course, with five-pound claimer Ellis Wong Chi-wang hopping aboard for the first time.
“He carried a heavy weight last time and this time I’ve put Caspar’s boy [Wong] on,” Lui said. “Over 1,000m he is an expert. I’m happy to keep him at 1,000m because when he goes around a bend he seems to lose a little bit of balance.”
The in-form Wong has only taken three rides for Lui in his career and will aim to make it fourth time lucky on the back of his 21st win of the season at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
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