Four weeks after he was involved in a horrific three-horse fall, Keith Yeung Ming-lun was back on top of the world with a double at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Tasting success for the first time since suffering extensive bruising in the February 9 race fall, Yeung’s infectious smile was hard to miss after he booted home Mount Everest and the season’s roughest winner, $132.6 long-shot The Auspicious.

“Perfect,” Yeung said. “I’m really, really grateful, especially after the fall. It’s always good to get the winners.”

Yeung was lucky to only miss two meetings after the fall, in which Zac Purton suffered a fractured toe and Angus Chung Yik-lai fractured a facial bone.

While Mount Everest wasn’t as big a price as The Auspicious, the Chris So Wai-yin-trained debutant still crept under the radar of punters as a $19 shot in the second section of the Class Four Lung Kong Handicap (1,200m).

The Exceed And Excel gelding showed ability in his trials but was set a task from gate 11 on his first race start.

Yeung took bad luck out of the equation, taking him back to last before launching a strong run down the outside to run down Patch Of Time by a nose.

“I’ve been working him ever since he came to Hong Kong and I’m super grateful for owner Mr Kendrick Wong [Chun-kit’s] continuous support,” said Yeung, who has also won multiple races on Master Of All for the same connections.

Jockey Keith Yeung celebrates Mount Everest’s win with owner Kendrick Wong and trainer Chris So (right).Jockey Keith Yeung celebrates Mount Everest’s win with owner Kendrick Wong and trainer Chris So (right).

“He’s been very, very good to me and I can’t thank him enough. [Mount Everest] is a lovely, big horse and I’ve always felt he’s had potential. He’s very mature – he was very calm and settled from the first day he was in Hong Kong, so I always felt like he would acclimatise really well here.

“It was unfortunate with the barrier today, but I was just hoping I’d give him a smooth run. That’s why I tried to settle him in behind and bring him out in the straight so he can just build. I thought it was a dead heat, but he got the job done.”

Yeung sealed his brace when The Auspicious caused the biggest shock of the season as the first triple-figure winner.

Also ridden patiently near the tail of the field, the Me Tsui Yu-sak-trained gelding stormed home to win the Class Four Lok Sin Tong Cup (1,400m).

“Definitely not,” Yeung said when asked if he expected The Auspicious to win.

“He’s only a three-year-old. He’s still very young and immature. He’s doing quite a few things wrong, but he benefited from the pace of the race today and the track bias, so I was very fortunate to get the winner for Me Tsui.”

Related articles

The Auspicious had finished no better than ninth from his first five starts, though he did have excuses on his previous run when he was held up in the straight.

Mount Everest wasn’t the only impressive debut winner on Sunday, with the David Hayes-trained Akashvani backing up his strong trial form with an all-the-way performance in the first section of the Lung Kong Handicap.

Lyle Hewitson guides Akashvani to victory.Lyle Hewitson guides Akashvani to victory.

“He did a good job from a wide gate and my sons educated him very well from Lindsay Park,” Hayes said after Lyle Hewitson guided Akashvani to victory by a length and a quarter.

“He reminds me of a young Rubylot, so let’s hope he ends up as good as Rubylot – [I’m] not saying he will be, but his action is very similar to Rubylot.”

Hewitson joined Yeung with a double after also winning on the Mark Newnham-trained Armour War Eagle.

Comments0Comments