The current Hong Kong Racing season is drawing to a close, but astute trainer Ricky Yiu is already planning ahead to next year with promising Super Seth three year-old Victory Supreme, a runaway winner at Sha Tin on Saturday night.
The gelding has been quietly learning his craft and put the writing on the wall last start with a close second over 1600m.
Stepped up to 1800m for a Class 4 event, Victor Supreme showed his staying potential when bolting clear to win by four and a half lengths in a dominant display.
Ricky Yiu outlined long-range hopes to contest the 2027 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) with Victor Supreme after his resounding win.
Yiu said Victory Supreme would be aimed at the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which features the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m), Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and the 150th BMW Hong Kong Derby.
“He won by reasonable margin – I thought he was a winning chance by maybe a length or two, but not in this style,” said Yiu.
“He’s an up-and-coming long-distance horse, even a mile is a bit sharp. He’ll be one of the Derby candidates. When the first stage Derby entries open, I’ll put him in. The way he looks, he’ll be a decent stayer.”
Yiu knows what it takes to win the BMW Hong Kong Derby having won in 2023 with Voyage Bubble.
A $340,000 Karaka Book 1 purchase for his trainer from the draft of Elsdon Park, Victor Supreme is the third winner from three foals to race from Collay, a winning half-sister by Makfi (GB) to Group I winner Ruud Awakening.
The sire of 10 stakes-winners, four of them G1 winners, Super Seth is now standing at Coolmore Australia at a fee of $137,500 this spring.
