David Eustace slotted a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (15 July) to equal his career-best haul in Hong Kong as the 2025/26 racing season closed in spectacular style with Caspar Fownes and Zac Purton taking overall individual honours.
Fownes completed the 88th and final meeting of the season with 69 wins to snare his fifth Hong Kong trainers’ championship from Danny Shum (65) and Mark Newnham (61), while Purton finished with 143 victories – 80 clear of nearest rival Hugh Bowman (64), with Andrea Atzeni third on 63 wins.
Shum concluded an outstanding campaign in style as three-year-old Winning Champion (116lb) triumphed in the Class 4 Star Shine Handicap (1200m). Achieving his best finish in the Hong Kong trainers’ championship with second overall, Shum also posted a career-high seasonal tally, easily surpassing his 57 wins in 2020/21.
“It’s been an amazing season for me and my stable. I’d like to thank my owners who support me, my staff who have done a great job, and my wife too. I really appreciate it all,” Shum said.
“We’ve kept him (Winning Champion) a bit fresh and the ground was a little bit soft today, which probably helped him. He deserved to win a race this season.”
Newnham also completed the season on a high – saddling a winner with his last runner of the campaign when Crimson Flash (133lb) clinched the Class 2 Lucky Patch Handicap (1200m), edging out Lucky With You (135lb) after a thrilling battle.
“A good way to finish the year. It’s been a great season – it’s gone better than I expected the whole way through,” said Newnham, who won the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) with Invincible Ibis and the G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) with My Wish.
“He’s (Crimson Flash) building a really good record here (six wins from 16 starts). He’s shown enough versatility – he’s won a couple times at Sha Tin as well, but he’s just a genuinely good horse.”
David Hayes finished the term with 56 wins – fifth overall behind Fownes, Shum, Newnham and Francis Lui (56) – after three-year-old Starry Show (120lb) broke through for his first victory in the Class 4 Fast Most Furious Handicap (1200m) for Richard Kingscote and the remarkable Harmony N Blessed (130lb) landed the Class 3 Sun Jewellery Handicap (1200m).
Nine-year-old Harmony N Blessed tigerishly outlasted Danica’s Choice (120lb), prevailing by a nose, to notch his 11th win at his 80th start and take his career prizemoney to HK$19.3 million.
But it was Eustace who took centre stage with a three-timer, eclipsing last season’s haul of 36 wins with a treble to finish the term with 38 wins, striking with Fashion Legend and Kyrus Treasure, both for Joao Moreira, and also Gratifide under Kingscote.
Veteran Fashion Legend (133lb) prevailed in the Class 5 Silver Grecian Handicap (1650m) before Kyrus Treasure (123lb) clinched the Class 4 Turin Warrior Handicap (1800m).
“He (Fashion Legend) is a horse who likes a bit of soft ground and he literally hasn’t had a wet track since he has been in Hong Kong, hence he’s been handling the dirt and doing his winning on the dirt,” Eustace said.
“We were happy to see the rain come and I thought he could run well tonight. I thought it was a very good ride from Joao. He’s hard to get off Caspar, but he’s been very kind and offered his services a few times for me, so it’s nice to get a winner with him.”
Kingscote, who tallied 16 wins for the campaign after piloting Gratifide to success in the Class 4 Super Oasis Handicap (1200m), said: “It’s nice to have a winner for both Mr Hayes and Mr Eustace. Obviously, Mr Eustace is having a good night, and I’m grateful that he’s helped me out this year.
“He’s (Eustace) done a great job with that horse (Gratifide). Obviously, the blinkers have helped, so very happy on the last night to get a double.”
Kyrus Treasure made it two course and distance wins from two starts.
“He’s a horse who took a while to work things out and sort of understand the racing. But he’s found his niche here at the Valley, and he’s had two good draws and good rides, and things just worked out well,” Eustace said.
Luke Ferraris closed the term in triumphant fashion, combining with Tony Cruz to win the Class 4 Sweet Orange Handicap (1650m) on Shamz (130lb), who ran third in the 2025 G2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) in New Zealand when he raced as Amazing Fluke for Tony Pike.
“It’s very nice, good to get one for Tony,” Ferraris said. “We haven’t teamed up much this season but hopefully that leads well into next season and I get a bit more support and I can ride a few more winners for him.”
Karis Teetan teamed with trainer Dennis Yip to claim the Class 3 Encountered Handicap (1650m) with Thriving Brothers.