Fresh off his Group 3 win at Sha Tin on Wednesday, an in-form Alexis Badel has secured the ride on My Wish for a G2 Sha Tin Trophy (1600m) that could see a number of live contenders fail to make the final field of 14.
Mark Newnham’s stable star is locked in for an exciting clash with Voyage Bubble in the Group 2 handicap on October 19 after he showed a smart turn of foot to win Sunday’s G3 Celebration Cup (1400m) under Luke Ferraris.
But with My Wish set to carry 115 pounds – he is rated 20 points below Voyage Bubble – and his regular South African jockey unable to ride at the minimum weight, Newnham has turned to Badel after he said a number of lightweight jockeys enquired about the ride.
“I had a few jockeys contacting me knowing what weight he would get, but what it came down to was that Alexis has a very good strike rate for the stable,” Newnham told Idol Horse. “It’s a one-off, so you need someone who is going to commit to doing the job and we’re looking forward to it.”
Badel moved to six wins for the season from seven meetings with a double at Sha Tin on Wednesday, courtesy of his G3 National Day Cup (1000m) win on Fast Network and success aboard the Newnham-trained Max Que.
The 35-year-old’s win on Max Que was his second for the Newnham stable this term from only three rides.
“I’m very grateful to be on a top-quality horse like him and the handicap is very important in this race,” Badel said. “He showed he is in top form on Sunday, he’s had a run and the stable is in fantastic form – what more can you ask for?”
Like last season’s Triple Crown hero Voyage Bubble, who will be partnered by Matthew Poon for the first time, and My Wish, the talented Galaxy Patch will also have a new jockey in the saddle when he attempts to defend his crown in the Sha Tin Trophy.
Trainer Pierre Ng confirmed that Jerry Chau, who has been riding the six-year-old in his work this season, will take the reins on race day for the first time.
“We’ve given Jerry the ride for the race and hopefully he can go well on his first run back,” Ng said. “Galaxy Patch won the race last year and it will be good to have him back and look ahead from there.”
The HK$5.35 million contest that acts as a stepping stone to the Hong Kong International Races is expected to attract a full field of 14 and could lead to a number of potential live chances missing out on a spot.
In ratings order, the field could feature: Voyage Bubble (134), Galaxy Patch (121), Red Lion (118), Beauty Joy (116), Straight Arron (116), My Wish (114), Happy Together (111), Patch Of Theta (109), Beauty Eternal (108), Cap Ferrat (108), Ensued (108), Packing Hermod (108), Sword Point (108) and Sunlight Power (107).
This means, however, that the likes of the 2024 Hong Kong Derby winner Massive Sovereign (105), the David Hayes-trained Rubylot (105), Bundle Award (104) and Divano (104) would miss out.
After last year’s Classic Cup winner, Rubylot, stormed home off a slow pace to finish fifth in Sunday’s Celebration Cup, his trainer admitted it would be a massive blow if his five-year-old failed to make the cut.
“It would be very disappointing if he can’t get in as was a winner of the Classic Cup and having been second in an international Group 1,” Hayes said. “If you’re trying to get a horse ready for international week, it would be a bit of a kick in the guts not getting into the lead-up race.”
If Rubylot didn’t make the final field, it would be the first time since 2018 that a horse rated 105 failed to qualify for the race. ∎
