Racehorse TALK

Hong Kong premiership - Size bid falls agonisingly short
Brad Waters
Monday, 29 June 2009


Australian trainer John Size was left to rue what might have been after a frustrating run of second placings at Sha Tin ended his Hong Kong trainers’ title defence.

Size trailed premiership leader Caspar Fownes by four wins going into Sunday’s penultimate meeting of the Hong Kong season before Fownes stretched his lead on Size and fellow Australian John Moore after taking out the second race with Victory Mascot.

Size and Moore struck back with a winner each in the middle part of the card before Size’s luck ran out with second placings in three of the last four races on the card.

At the end of the meeting, Fownes still held a two-win lead over Moore and a four-win lead over Size with only Wednesday’s meeting at Sha Tin remaining.

"I think I need one more to be safe," Fownes told the South China Morning Post. "John Moore is still a chance - he looks to have a good team in Wednesday but he needs a good day.

"Johnny Size was the one I was worried about coming here today - he could have trained three or four and made it really interesting, but he's had seconds all afternoon.

“He also has a strong hand on Wednesday but he needs at least five winners now so it looks too hard.”