Jade Theatre (127lb) was an 11/1 victor in the featured Hong Kong Club Challenge Cup (1200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night for the combination of Zac Purton and trainer Manfred Man following a lacklustre 11th in his dirt debut one month ago.
Zac Purton steers Jade Theatre to an impressive victory in the Hong Kong Challenge Cup
“He didn’t really like the dirt and lost a shoe, then he stopped traveling,” Purton said after his 52nd win of the season. “Tonight back on grass, he jumped better, was more comfortable, and traveled really well. He gave me a nice kick and it was a good run.”
“After he won last season, we expected he would win again for us this term,” added Man, “but he was either badly drawn or hampered. In fact, he was badly drawn tonight which surely affected our confidence.”
It was the second win of a double for Man, who sent out All Best Friends to take the third race Ice House Handicap, the first of Callan’s wins.
