ARCADIA, Calif. – At roughly 900 pounds and little more than 15 hands tall, Irish-bred Hong Kong Harry makes up for whatever he may lack in physical stature with a will to win and the ability to get it done, evidenced by his second consecutive stateside win, a 1 ½ length score in Saturday’s $72,000 allowance feature at Santa Anita. Trained by Phil D’Amato and ridden for the first time by Ramon Vazquez, Hong Kong Harry, a 5-year-old chestnut gelding, got a mile and one eighth on turf in 1:47.15.
A three-length winner over the course in his U.S. debut March 6, Hong Kong Harry was again attentive to the pace while well in-hand early under Vazquez. Second turning for home, about 1 ½ lengths behind eventual fourth place finisher Moody Jim, he responded when called upon and appeared much the best on a picturesque afternoon.
“He’s just getting better and better,” said D’Amato. “When he came here, he was a little bit of a project with some ability. I gotta give my blacksmith, Wes Champagne a lotta credit for getting his feet right and once we did that, everything else has come around.
He’s probably half the size of my other horse (Cash Equity) that finished second in here, but he’s just got a big heart and it doesn’t look like distance is a problem for him. I think he could probably go another furlong or two.”
Stepping up from a first condition to a second condition allowance today, Hong Kong Harry was off at 9-5 in a field of seven older horses and paid $5.80, $3.60 and $2.40.
“He’s a nice horse and we had a good position,” said Vazquez, who notched his second win on the day and is newly arrived from Oaklawn Park. “I just waited until the last quarter mile and when I asked him, he gave me everything.”
Owned by Scott Anastasi, Jimmy Ukegawa and Tony Valazza, Hong Kong Harry bagged $43,200 for the win, increasing his earnings to $125,097 while getting his sixth win from nine career starts.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, French-bred Cash Equity was next to last early and mounted a nice stretch rally but was no match for his stablemate. Off as the second choice in his U.S. debut at 2-1, Cash Equity paid $3.00 and $2.80 while finishing a half-length in front of late running Henley’s Joy.
Off at 13-1 with Joe Bravo up, Henley’s Joy paid $4.60 to show and finished three quarters of a length in front of Moody Jim.
Fractions on the race were 23.28, 47.77, 1:11.32 and 1:35.47.
First post time for a nine-race card on Easter Sunday is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.
Santa Anita Press Release
Photo: Hong Kong Harry (Benoit Photos)
