Ocean Park’s son strikes again
Valhalla has continued his sparkling run of form in Hong Kong with further success at Happy Valley.
The Caspar Fownes-trained son of Ocean Park has now won three of his last seven starts with three minor placings and his latest victory on Friday evening was posted in Class 5 company over 1200 metres.
It was rider Hugh Bowman’s first win since he suffered shoulder and spinal injuries in a race fall on last month.
“It didn’t take long, but it’s nice to get the support and it’s nice to be back,” he said.
“I’ve still got a bit of work to do to get to where I want to be. I was out for a long time so it’s good to be back and good to be on the board.”
Valhalla was purchased out of breeder Waikato Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $220,000 by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and then made $648,000 at the International Sale.
He is a son of the unraced Pins mare Eudora, whose six foals to race have all been successful and includes the two-time Group 1 winner Savvy Coup.
Eudora is a sister to the Group winners Legless Veuve and Tootsie, dam of the three-time Group 2 winner and sire Ocean Emperor and the mother of Waikato Stud’s G1 Flight Stakes winner Never Been Kissed.
The outstanding member of this family is the four-time elite level winner Probabeel.
The Corner with Garry Chittick
The writing of my Corner started many years ago, motivated by an irritation that I felt needed scratching. It was never my intention to make my commentary regular; neither did I intend to reinvent the direction of racing administration. It is both disappointing and ironical that what should be a simple, straightforward business provides a regular need for comment.
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