Harley Secures First Hong Kong Win With High Five For Millard
British jockey Martin Harley endured a sparse run of outs since arriving in town at the beginning of February. He has managed to overcome the drought with an accomplished ride on the Tony Millard-trained longshot High Five.
Harley managed only fourteen rides before this evening, third-place being his best return. Despite the limited opportunities and back door finishes, Harley feels he has learned plenty so far.
“High Five is the best horse I’ve ridden by far since I came here and he proved it by winning. He was an 80/1 shot or whatever but he’s been in Class 1 company before and ran well, so it wasn’t a big shock to me.”
And, with a win in on the board, he is keen to kick on and put his lean first month behind him.
“That’s a good confidence booster tonight. It’s a big relief to get my first winner and it’s proven that I can ride a winner or maybe more in Hong Kong.”
Alberto Sanna, too, has found horses with chances tough to find in recent months, let alone winners, so the hard-working Italian made sure his planning was impeccable before heading out on Rule the roost in the Class 4 Jaffe Handicap (1650m).
Tagged on to the tail of 2/1 favorite Happy Warrior in a three-deep alley, Sanna tracked Zac Purton’s mount when the champion jockey made a mid-race advance from midfield to the lead. Once in the straight, Ruletheroost responded to Sanna’s determined drive, edging past Happy Warrior to score by a neck.
The rider had partnered the Frankie Lor-trained maiden in barrier trials and all of his six previous races and was eager to see that work pay off for connections.
Curated from Press Release by HKJC