My Wish Gives Newnham, Ferraris Landmark Wins in Classic Mile

[Wandering Eyes]

The progressive My Wish (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) sat a trip handy to the pace, took over with 200 metres left to run and held off a rails rally from the outposted Divano (Aus) (Brave Smash {Jpn}) to take out the first leg of the 4-year-old Classic series in Hong Kong, the HK$13-million Hong Kong Classic Mile on Friday's Chinese New Year program at Sha Tin.

It was a first feature win in the ultra-competitive environment for Australian ex-pat trainer Mark Newnham in his second season and for South Africa's Luke Ferraris, riding his third year in Hong Kong.

Out of the top three just once in his seven previous starts, My Wish won consecutive races in Class 3 company in November and December over 1400 metres and stepped up to the mile last time, finishing a close third while giving 10 and seven pounds, respectively, to the pair that finished ahead of him Jan. 1.

Easily the smallest horse in the 14-strong field at just 990 pounds, My Wish bounced alertly from barrier eight and took up a spot in the first third of the field, a couple of lengths behind Glory Elite (Aus) (Russian Revolution {Aus}) with cover down the back. Traveling nicely on the circle, My Wish was eased into the three-wide line leaving the 600 metres and had dead aim on the leaders turning in.

Favoured Packing Hermod (Aus) (Rubick {Aus}) made a run in tandem with My Wish into the final furlong, but the latter kicked on smartly and prevailed narrowly. Divano, the ride of Blake Shinn, was snagged back to the tail from gate 14 and was ridden for luck in the straight. All the gaps came and he flashed home up the fence in a race-best :21.93 to touch Packing Hermod out of second. Mickley (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}), last year's Brittania Handicap hero, attacked the line for a sound fifth after striking some interference in the straight, while 2023 Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up Johannes Brahms (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) dropped out to finish at the tail.

Ferraris is the 23-year-old son of former trainer David Ferraris, who called the shots on the career of Hong Kong Derby and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic hero Vengeance of Rain (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). The elder Ferraris won the 2012 Classic Mile with Sweet Orange (War Front), a race Luke Ferraris remembers well.

“Tonight, when I sit down it will kick in when I get the messages from my family,” said Luke Ferraris, who rode a treble on the day to take over fourth spot in the jockeys' premiership. “Watching this race as a child and now this–it's surreal. I'm pretty grateful to Mark and his team.”

Newnham, a former Gai Waterhouse assistant who exercised the likes of G1 Golden Slipper hero Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}) and G1 Melbourne Cup victor Fiorente (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), saddled 31 winners in his maiden season in 2023/2024, and is winning with better than 10% of his runners this term.

“The horse is very game, Luke's done a great job with him and my team at home has done a super job because when he first arrived, he was a high-energy horse and wasn't easy to handle,” said Newnham, who has trained better than 400 winners since going out on his own in 2016.

Pedigree Notes:

My Wish is the ninth black-type winner for his sire, whose daughter Asfoora (Aus) won the 2024 G1 King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot before finishing runner-up in the G2 Qatar Stakes at Goodwood and a close fourth in the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York. Flying Artie was victorious in the 2016 G3 Blue Diamond Prelude Stakes, second in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes itself and third to Capitalist (Aus) in that year's G1 Golden Slipper Stakes. Set The Tone was not covered from 2020 through 2022, but is the dam of a weanling full-brother to My Wish and was most recently bred to Hawaii Five Oh (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}).

Friday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
HONG KONG CLASSIC MILE-LR, HK$13,000,000, Sha Tin, 1-31, NH/SH4yo, 1600mT, 1:33.98, gd.
1–MY WISH (AUS), 126, g, 4, by Flying Artie (Aus)
1st Dam: Set The Tone (Aus), by Reset (Aus)
2nd Dam: Celtic Courage (Aus), by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Late Night Fun (Aus), by Handy Proverb (Aus)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Ada Che Xiao Hong, Suki Tang Xianfang & Ruby Hui Like Sea; B-J Langridge (NSW); T-Mark Newnham; J-Luke Ferraris; HK$7,280,000. Lifetime Record: 8-4-1-2, HK$10,754,700.
2–Divano (Aus), 126, g, 4, Brave Smash (Jpn)–Been Scene (Aus), by Bianconi. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. (A$90,000 Ylg '22 INGFEB). O-Chen Chun Man; B-Aquis Farm, Ariel Arnott (Qld); T-Francis Lui; J-Blake Shinn; HK$2,730,000.
3–Packing Hermod (Aus), 126, g, 4, Rubick (Aus)–Black Tulip (Aus), by Lonhro (Aus). 1ST BLACK-TYPE. (A$300,000 Ylg '22 INGFEB). O-Roletta Lee Man Ching; B-Bird Rock Thoroughbreds (Vic); T-Francis Lui; J-Zac Purton; HK$1,495,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 1. Odds: 6-1, 47-1, 9-5.
Also Ran: Fast Network (NZ), Mickley (Ire), Rubylot (Aus), Lucy In the Sky (Aus), Top Gun (NZ), Talents Ambition (Aus), Glory Elite (Aus), Markwin (Aus), Cap Ferrat (Aus), Call Me Glorious (Aus), Johannes Brahms (GB). Scratched: Sky Trust (Aus), Bundle Award (Aus). Click for the HKJC chart, PPs and sectional timing.

 

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