I've been pretty fortunate, says injured Delpech
Anthony Delpech will go for precautionary X-rays this morning in the wake of his second bad spill this season, when brought down by Shane Dye's fallen mount Ambitious Marju in the second event.
Delpech was riding Metro Leader for trainer Peter Ng Bik-kuen and had the gelding in a fairly forward rails position when disaster struck at the 1,200 metres.
'I'm not really sure what took place. I haven't had the opportunity to look at the video and it all happened pretty fast,' Delpech said. 'I think I've been pretty fortunate, really. My backside is a bit sore and it's a bit painful when I bend my leg but I'm pretty sure it's only bruising. But in a situation like this, the Jockey Club wants us to be fully cleared by X-rays, to be on the safe side, so that's what I'll be doing.'
With Delpech back in his apartment, responsibility for handling Wadadelight in the Class Three dirt race over 1,650m fell to Vincent Sit Shing-kin, and he arrived in the very last stride to snatch victory away from Global Win. The American-bred gelding has now won three races for the season, and seven overall, but Gary Ng Ting-keung is still optimistic about what the future has in store.
'His sire Awad won a Group One race when he was seven years old, so I've always expected this horse would keep on getting better as he got older,' Ng said.
'The problem, of course, is that he will now be at the top of Class Three and there aren't many dirt races for Class Two horses on the all-weather.
'I still think he can win on the turf, but not at this sort of distance [1,650m]. To be competitive on the grass, I think he'll need to be racing at 2,000 or even 2,200 metres.'
South African trainer Tony Millard went deeper into personal record territory -win number 33 for the season - when the New Zealand-bred six-year-old Wisdom Express landed a 58-1 upset in the Class Four over 1,200m.
The Woodbury Lad gelding has been racing honestly and was a last-start third to Noble Conqueror over 1,200m at Happy Valley. But while Noble Conqueror went up 10 pounds and started a short-priced favourite, the perception that Wisdom Express is a pure Valley performer saw his price drift right out for their return bout.
Apprentice Marco Chui Kwan-lai gave a perfect exhibition, substituting for the suspended Thomas Yeung Kai-tong.
'When he first came to us he had quite a few problems, but we gradually ironed them out and he's been racing consistently. I'll probably run him again next week.'
