Little Paradise overcame traffic issues and distance doubts to thrash 13 rivals in the Hong Kong Classic Mile Feb. 1 at Sha Tin Racecourse and now stands as the one to beat through the rest of the Hong Kong Derby series.
There was no standout in the Classic Mile field, either before the race or even midway down the straight. And, with a scrum underway up front, Little Paradise and jockey Vincent Ho, after relaxing well behind the early speed, appeared well out of contention with horses on all sides.
Ho tried moving the Toronado gelding inside, then back out and finally found a seam flashing past the 100-meter mark. Little Paradise did the rest, quickly blazing away to win by 2 lengths over long shot Infinite Resolve. Beauty Bolt and Sagacious Life were next with the favorite, Invincible Ibis, a late-running sixth.
Ho said the trip, traffic and all, worked out to his advantage.
"Little Paradise is a very nice horse. The main thing stepping up to the mile for him was to relax no matter what and I didn't rush him because we couldn't and we know he has a really good turn of foot from his last run," Ho said.
Trainer Jimmy Ting said he was a little more concerned than the jockey.
"He's a very good horse," Ting said. "But at the last 300 meters I got a bit scared because he got stuck. But when he got a gap, Vincent Ho said he was flying home. It's fantastic."
Little Paradise had won five of eight starts in Hong Kong before the Classic Mile but none was longer than 1,400 meters (about 7 furlongs). To sweep the series, he will have to stretch out to 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) for the Hong Kong Classic Cup March 1 and to 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) for the Derby March 22.
"He finished off very well, so he can definitely handle a mile without a problem," Ho told Ting. "And I told Jimmy even for 1,800 meters, he will also produce that sort of kick as long as we relax him early.
"He's a really flexible horse as well. If the pace is slow, he can be very close to the speed and still give you a give turn of foot when you ask him. So, he's a really nice horse to handle.
The Hong Kong Derby, restricted to 4-year-olds, long has been the most sought-after prize among local connections, even amid the proliferation of international group 1 races at Sha Tin. Derby winners, notably Golden Sixty, Romantic Warrior, and Voyage Bubble have also franked the quality of the race by going on to glory in those internationals.
Ting, who earned his trainer's license for the 2018-19 season, scored the most prestigious victory of his career. He also won the race as a jockey in 2000 when it was named the Hong Kong Classic Trial. Ho is in a tight battle for the third spot in this season's jockey rankings behind perennial champion Zac Purton and Hugh Bowman. Going into the Feb. 1 card, Purton had 71 winners to Bowman's 31. Ho claimed 21.
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