Karaka Graduate Hong Kong Derby King

Karaka Graduate Hong Kong Derby King

Karaka Premier Sale graduate Vital King (Almutawakel x Wauwinet) took out the HK$16,000,000 Mercedes Benz Hong Kong Derby HK-1 (2000m) in sensational style at Sha Tin last night. The victory providing expat Kiwi trainer, Paul O'Sullivan, with his biggest success in Hong Kong thus far.

Australian jockey Brett Prebble positioned Vital King near the rear of the field, one off the rail, for most of the journey. On the home straight he then launched a scintillating sprint to snatch victory by a nose in the last stride over hot favourite Floral Pegasus (Fusaichi Pegasus x Crown Crest), with Champions Gallery (Dansili x Pure) a length-and-a-half in third.

O'Sullivan, who has been training in Hong Kong since 2004, is currently lying second on the Trainers Premiership just seven wins in arrears of Casper Fownes.

Vital King was bred by Cambridge horsewoman Ngaire Fraser, who said that even as a foal Vital King "was a nice type who was always going to make a racehorse". He was then sold at the 2004 Karaka Select Sale to Mark & Carolyn Todd's Rivermonte Farm for NZ$38,000.

Trained by Todd in New Zealand, where he was raced as Izzat, he won two races. His ability was highlighted when stakes placed as a late two-year-old and finishing third to 2006 Group 1 Mercedes New Zealand Derby winner Wahid (Almutawakel x Rory's Helen) in the 2005 Group 1 Courtesy Ford Levin Classic (1600m).

He is now the winner of four races and has amassed stakes of HK$10,090,000 for his new owner Chong Man Lung.

New Zealand bred horses raced away with four other wins on the night while the John Size trained Armada (Towkay x Dance in Time) was just denied first place in the Chairman's Trophy HK-2 (1600m) behind Good Ba Ba (Leah Fan x Elle Meme).

Towering Feeling (Faltaat x Miss Tree) won the Class 1 River Verdon Handicap (1600m). In his fifth win from nine starts the four-year-old's earnings now equate to HK$2,731,800. A graduate of the 2004 Karaka Premier Sale, Australian bloodstock agent Robert Roulston bid to NZ$80,000 to secure him from the draft of Pheonix Park.

2004 Karaka Select Sale graduate Toffee (Danasinga x Silver's Sister) prevailed in the Class 4 Clear City Handicap (1200m) notching up his third win. He was purchased by Michael Stedman for NZ$85,000 from Wentwood Grange.

Other highlights included the New Zealand-breds Luckyme (Chief Bearhart x Frizzle) and South Breeze (Howbaddouwantit x Young Pam) winning the Class 3 Che Sara Sara Handicap (1600m) and the Class 4 William's Coach Handicap (1600m) on the card respectively. It was Luckyme's third win from just four starts and South Breeze's first win.

ENDS

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