Bountiful Glory at Sha Tin for Karaka

Karaka graduates reiterated their dominance in South East Asia yesterday recording victories in half of the ten race Sha Tin card, including the feature Group 2 Chairman's Trophy (1600m) which went the way of John Size's More Bountiful.

More Bountiful - Chairmans Trophy

More Bountiful captures the Group 2 Chairman's Trophy in the hands of Douglas Whyte

The HK$3,000,000 race was Group 1 quality headed by six time Hong Kong Group 1 winner Viva Pataca (Marju), and it was he and More Bountiful (Van Nistelrooy - Centaine Gu Li, by Centaine) who trailed the twelve horse field approaching Sha Tin's sweeping home bend.

At that stage race caller Darren Flindell commented "followed by More Bountiful and Viva Pataca, who will need some luck from there" and 300m later continued " and More Bountiful comes with a big run, More Bountiful surging to the lead from Fellowship, and More Bountiful out of the Derby and into the Chairman's Trophy gets up."

The four year old gelding by Van Nistelrooy had just disposed of his rivals in impressive fashion, winning in a time of 1.33.66 (last 400m 23.22), one and a quarter lengths from another Kiwi-bred Fellowship (O'Reilly), with a further three-quarter of a length back to Viva Pataca.

As Darren Flindell alluded to, More Bountiful had run in the prestigious Group 1 Mercedes Benz Hong Kong Derby (2000m) at his previous start where he ran a creditable fifth, before dropping back to victory over the mile of the Chairman's Trophy.

A graduate of the 2006 South Island Sale, More Bountiful has now won six races in 2008/09 for John Size and his owners the Lucky Lord Syndicate, just one win off the Hong Kong record of seven victories in a season.

Respected horse judge John Foote purchased the bay for $38,000 at the Sale from Little Avondale Stud, who sold the great grand-son of Group 1 winner Sheralee (Sovereign Edition) on behalf of his breeder Ms Helen Phinney.

Testament to Foote's judgment is the fact that of his four 2006 South Island Sale purchases for an aggregate of $160,000, three of them have been named, all these have won including More Bountiful the winner of HK$6,335,000 (approx. NZ$1,375,354), Golden Treasure (Faltaat - Lady Chanele, by Citidancer), the winner of two in Hong Kong this season and HK$1,432,075 (approx. NZ$ 310,613) and The Russeler (Nediym - Mayletto, by Rigoletto) the winner of two in Australia to 2008/09 and A$22,300 with more to come having won his last start just last week on April 2.