Mark Newnham and Zac Purton were rapt with Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) hero Invincible Ibis and Little Paradise’s trials at Sha Tin on Thursday as they prepare to defy history in next week’s Group One Champions Mile.
In his first major hit-out since a strong victory in last month’s Derby, Invincible Ibis ran on under little pressure from jockey Hugh Bowman to finish third in a 1,200m dirt trial, which was won by Little Paradise.
Newnham was pleased with the performance and has high hopes the son of Hellbent can defy a poor record for four-year-olds in the Champions Mile.
“All he needed was a maintenance gallop – that’s what he got,” Newnham said.
“They looked to go steady early, the last 400m was strong, [Bowman] never got to the bottom of him but I don’t think his opposition did either, and we got what we needed out of it.
“He’ll have one more piece of work towards the end of next week and he’ll be fit and ready to go.
“It’s an open race, but last year appeared the same and the older horses still beat [the four-year-olds]. My Wish ran fourth last year, he was only beaten a length but he had barrier one. I think the barrier draw’s going to be important.”
With Bowman opting to ride Newnham’s My Wish in the Champions Mile, superstar jockey James McDonald has been booked to team up with Invincible Ibis.
Red Pepper won the inaugural Champions Mile in 2001, having finished fourth in the Hong Kong Derby at his previous start, but the only subsequent four-year-old winners have been Able One (2007) and Xtension (2010).
That trend weighs heavily on the mind of Purton, who hops back aboard Little Paradise after his Classic Series campaign which was highlighted by a sensational Classic Mile triumph.
“It’s very hard for four-year-olds to win the mile race, but it will just be good to see how he’s going to measure up against the older horses at a mile – get a better gauge of where he’s at and then going forward, we’ll be able to go one way or the other,” Purton said.
“He’s an exciting horse, for sure.”
The Jimmy Ting Koon-ho-trained Little Paradise jumped to the front in Thursday’s trial and shrugged off a challenge from Champions Mile rival and last year’s winner of the race, Red Lion, to win by a nose in 1:10.96.
“He’s not the best in the gates. He still gets a little bit nervous in there but it was good to see him begin well, he got into a lovely rhythm and I probably didn’t want to trial him that hard, but when his head was in front and he kept getting challenged, he just wanted to give a little bit more, which is a good sign,” Purton said.
“He moved well and pulled up good.”
Galaxy Patch and Sunlight Power also warmed up for the Champions Mile on Thursday, finishing fourth to Little Paradise and sixth to unbeaten three-year-old Salon S in their respective trials.
On a busy Thursday morning at Sha Tin, the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising scorched the turf in a grass gallop ahead of his bid for a 20th straight victory in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m).
“He spun around there nicely, pulled up well, stretched his legs and changed his leg which was very comforting, and he looks as if he’s in probably career-best order going into his grand final this season. So, looking forward to next week,” Purton said.
