PERFECT PAIR, TEAM SPIRIT, RIGHT CHOICE

6th Mar 2019

Price Bloodstock just keeps churning out the winners in Hong Kong and Perfect Pair, Team Spirit and Right Choice made it a trifecta of success at Sha Tin on Saturday.

For Chris So, Perfect Pair was a breakthrough for his first win while Team Spirit burst back into the winner’s circle after being slightly disappointing so far this season.

“When Team Spirit won last season in Class 4 as a three-year-old, I thought he would be quite progressive this campaign,” said So, after the gelding led all the way in Class 3. “He went up a class but I always thought he was up to it and had more improvement in him. He has been sound but he just hasn’t been a happy horse this time around and it was showing in his results. But I’ve changed a few things with him and it looks like he is back. He’ll stay in Class 3 next time and it wouldn’t surprise me if he won again now that he has found himself again.”

For Perfect Pair, though, the first win of his 3-start career was well and truly expected after he put the writing on the wall in his first two appearances.

“I don’t think he is a star but he is a tradesman and I’ve had these types of Price Bloodstock horses before and they usually achieve things above your expectations,” So pointed out. “He has tactical speed, he has a good attitude and even though he has won at just his third start and does most things right, I still thing he has a little bit to learn and that makes me think he has further improvement.”
After So had scored earlier in the day, Right Choice stepped out as favourite for Frankie Lor in the final race and the trainer will long remember him as the galloper who posted the 100th win of his training career. Right Choice now has an almost perfect record from 5 starts, with 4 wins and a second, and he will go into Class 2 now with some real expectation that he can win his fifth race of the season.

“It is harder there but today he won quite comfortably, more than two lengths, so I’d say he could win again while he has a light weight in Class 2. It’s hard to find any fault with how he is going!” Lor said. “The draw in barrier 14 today didn’t look much help when the fields first came out but I think it might have helped in the end. From the inside draw last time, the jockey had him closer to the speed and he didn’t finish as strongly, but today he was more concerned with overcoming the barrier and that meant sitting a little bit further back so he could cross over and you saw how he finished off. At the moment, I’ll keep him at 1400m but he’s by Mastercraftsman and he has always given me the impression that he will handle further as he matures.”