Mark Newnham couldn’t be happier with My Wish as the emerging star prepares to continue his march towards Group One glory when he tackles Sunday’s Group Two BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile.
Unbeaten from two starts this season, My Wish is the nominal favourite not only for the weekend’s HK$5.35 million contest but also for the Group One Hong Kong Mile at the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) next month.
After an impressive four-year-old campaign headlined by victory in the Classic Mile and a fast-finishing second in the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m), the son of Flying Artie has returned in a blaze of glory with wins in the Group Three Celebration Cup (1,400m) and Group Two Sha Tin Trophy.
He ran second to the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising, in a dirt trial last week and Newnham is adamant his stable star will be hard to beat again on Sunday.
“Since his last barrier trial he’s done everything he should do. It’s been a pretty standard preparation,” said Newnham, who leads the trainers’ championship with 22 wins this season.
“Every stable needs a headline horse and he’s most certainly our one. He’s kept improving, which is what we needed him to do. We’ve still got a long way to go [until HKIR], but he’s trending in the right direction.
“I’d feel more pressure if we didn’t have him – I’d be under a lot more pressure if we didn’t have My Wish. I think on present form, he’s the one to beat and the horse to be with.”
Regular rider Luke Ferraris will be back on My Wish on Sunday after he was unable to make the pint-sized galloper’s weight of 115lb last start, with Alexis Badel booting him to victory.
My Wish’s claims were boosted when he drew perfectly in barrier four.
David Eustace, who runs the progressive Light Years Charm in the Jockey Club Mile, conceded that My Wish will be tough to beat.
“I think the favourite will be very hard to beat – he’s the absolute stand-out and is still an improving, young horse,” Eustace said.
“The rest have probably got to put in career-best runs to challenge him.”
An impressive winner at five of his 11 Hong Kong starts, Light Years Charm will take on My Wish for the second time after finishing seventh in the Celebration Cup when he was badly held up for clear running in the straight.
The son of Rubick bounced back to win the Class Two Santa Monica Handicap (1,400m) on his next start, but the step up to a mile is a nagging concern for Eustace.
“He’s trained on really well and he hasn’t missed a beat. He had a gallop on Tuesday morning and has come through that as a fit horse – we’re really looking forward to Sunday,” Eustace said.
“I think if he sees the mile out then he can be very competitive, but that is a very big if.
“I like to think our horse is still improving and I hope he gets the mile as it will open up a lot of options.
“I have my doubts about stamina. We tried it once in a lower grade and it didn’t work out. We know a bit more about him now than we did back then. On that occasion I thought he didn’t stay and we went back to 1,400m and haven’t had to change, but now we do.
“He’s a big, strong and scopey horse so you’d think he could stay, but we won’t really know until the race.”
On his only attempt at a mile, Light Years Charm came up short as the $2 favourite when third behind Patch Of Cosmo in March.
He will jump from barrier 11 on Sunday with Zac Purton in the saddle.
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