Exciting duo Magnifique and Horsepower maintain unbeaten records at Sha Tin

South China Morning Post

16-02-2025

David Hall and Frankie Lor Fu-chuen have plenty of reasons to be excited about the future after Magnifique and Horsepower extended their perfect records at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Fresh from a strong debut victory down the straight last month, Hall's Magnifique handled the rise to 1,200m with ease under Brenton Avdulla in the first section of the Class Four Daisy Handicap.
Lor's Horsepower joined Magnifique with a two-from-two record, returning from a mishap before the start of his scheduled second run in November to score down the 1,000m straight in the Class Three Osmanthus Handicap.
Magnifique's unblemished record includes three wins from as many trials and Hall is bullish about the Charm Spirit three-year-old's future in Hong Kong.
'He's still learning his craft, but he's definitely got the potential there,' the veteran handler said after Magnifique cruised to victory by a length and a half.
'Obviously they're all still learning in their second start and he was still a little bit keen mid-race.
'Brenton sat there a little bit longer because he knew was sort of overworking a little bit, but when they came to him he said he was just waiting for them. He found what he had to and he's probably got a little bit more there, I would hope.'
After doing some early work to cross from gate 11 and stalk pacesetter Everyone's Gallop, Magnifique surged to the lead despite being kept under a strong hold by Avdulla.
When the Australian rider let him loose, Magnifique sprinted powerfully to comfortably account for Lucky Symphony and Dragon Four Seas.
Hall is confident Magnifique, who also overcame top weight of 135 pounds on Sunday, will handle the rise to Class Three level on his next start.
He was the first leg of a running double for Avdulla, who won the following race on the John Size-trained Magnificent Nine.
Avdulla's afternoon was soured when he was suspended for one meeting for careless riding aboard beaten Size-trained favourite Bundle Award in the last race.
Horsepower's victory was a reward for the patience of Lor and the owners, headlined by Jockey Club chairman Michael Lee Tze-hau, after he was scratched just moments before a Happy Valley race when he was found to be lame.
'Last time behind the gates, Zac Purton scratched the horse so we needed to find out what's going on,' Lor said.
'The next day we checked the horse, we did the bone scan for him, but we couldn't see anything. Then we went back to work and he started [favouring] his left front a little bit. The vet helped a lot to make sure which part had a problem.
'His fetlock had a little bit of a problem so they just medicated his fetlock and he was sound. In the morning he is too strong, he is really hard to control and he needs to relax more.'
Horsepower stormed home from near last to salute on his first Sha Tin start, beating Aurora Patch by three-quarters of a length under Matthew Chadwick.
Purton had booted home the son of Harry Angel at the Valley in October.