Jockey Keith Yeung sealed a race-to-race double when Clear Choice (118lb) held Split Of A Second (118lb) by half a length to win the Class 4 Ewo Challenge Trophy Handicap (1200m). That followed Art Of Raw’s show of stamina in the preceding Class 4 Kowloon Tsai Handicap (2200m).

Keith Yeung completes a double atop Clear Choice

Clear Choice rewarded favourite backers at 2.4. Danny Shum’s charge had signalled his intent at his previous start when second at the course and distance. The four-year-old earned a breakthrough win at start nine after stalking the pace and then driving to the lead with 100m to go.

“He took a few runs to start to acclimatise to Hong Kong,” Yeung said. “They’d been trying to find his racing pattern, so last time we put him near the front and he finished off well, so we kept it that way tonight. He’s a nice, honest horse that tries really hard.

“I think he’s still growing and 1200 is not his best distance so in time he’ll go up over farther.”

Shum landed a brace of his own with Clear Choice following Savannah Wind’s opening strike.

“Keith said after the last race that he believed the horse would be better over a longer distance, but I decided to still focus on 1200m here first,” the trainer said. “I planned to have one more race at this winning distance at his next start, and then see how he went on from that – he seems to have grown in confidence race by race.”

Yeung teamed with trainer Francis Lui to take the night’s third contest at odds of 18/1.

“Art Of Raw is a bit of a morning glory, he always works well, but when he’s come to the races he’s been a disappointment,” Yeung said of the French import, who broke through at his 14th Hong Kong start.

“We couldn’t figure him out so we put him over a longer distance because he won over 2000 metres in France and today the race just went for him. He had the light weight and the barrier and the tempo suited him – everything was just perfect.”

Alberto Sanna lost his whip in the home run aboard Dr Race (8/1) but still squeaked the Class 4 Shek Kip Mei Handicap (1000m) in a nodding finish. The in-form Italian edged the verdict by a nose from the Nash Rawiller-ridden Peace Combination (131lb). 

“Nash said to me that I’d got it, but I really didn’t know!” Sanna said.

Jockey Karis Teetan and trainer Ricky Yiu struck with Encore Boy (4.3) in the seventh race, the Class 3 King’s Park Handicap (1200m). The last race, the Class 3 Tsim Sha Tsui Handicap (1650m), went to the Peter Ho-trained Don’t Miss (6.5) under Matthew Poon.

Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Saturday, 21 April.