Horse racing news: Harry Bentley lands first Hong Kong Group 2 win in £500,000 Premier Bowl
Harry Bentley landed the biggest prize of his Hong Kong career to date as Tomodachi Kokoroe sensationally catapulted himself into LONGINES Hong Kong International Races reckoning after running the second-fastest 1200 metre time in Hong Kong racing history in the HK$5.35 million (approx. £500,000) G2 Premier Bowl Handicap (6f/1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday 26 October.
It was a first Group 2 win in Hong Kong for Bentley, who had previously won the G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy in 2024 and added the G3 January Cup last season.
Rekindling a partnership
Speaking after the race, Bentley said: “I had a great spin on him [Tomodachi Kokoroe] at the end of last season at Happy Valley and I was delighted to rekindle the partnership this season.
“My goodness, the horse has gone from strength to strength. [Trainer] David [Hayes] has prepared this horse incredibly well, and credit to him and his team.
“Obviously, I had an extremely willing partner underneath me. 115lb is a huge pull in these races, especially when you come in with a horse in such good form – they’re hard to beat, and he proved that.”
Bentley has now won three of four rides aboard Tomodachi Kokoroe, who is clearly a horse on a steep upward curve after running Sha Tin’s 6f/1200m faster than all but stablemate Ka Ying Rising, the world’s top-rated sprinter.
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Late-career renaissance
On Sunday, Bentley settled the Written Tycoon gelding perfectly, one off the rail behind the speed, and produced him at the 300-metre pole before flashing home past a group of early pace-setters.
It was a ride that didn’t escape the attention of a delighted Hayes.
“Sometimes you paint a race map that you pray your horse will get, and Harry put him in that spot,” Hayes said.
“Harry wasn’t happy with the run he gave him last time but was shocked by how he fought and held on. And then when he gave him a good run, like first up, he’s killed it. That was a 10-out-of-10 ride.”
The win marks the continuation of an incredible late-career renaissance for the seven-year-old, who didn’t register a single win in 10 Class 2 outings last season.
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Two champion sprinters
Hayes is now in the enviable position of having two world-class sprinters in his yard, who may well provide the stiffest opposition for each other at the December showpiece.
“He [Tomodachi Kokoroe] runs time, so you can’t ignore that,” said the Australian Hall of Fame trainer. “If he gets a good run in a big race, he’ll run well.
“He’ll probably run in the traditional [LONGINES HKIR] lead-up race – the trial [the G2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint, 1200m]. He’ll run on that day.
“And whether he runs against Ka Ying, we’ll see how Ka Ying does when he gets out of quarantine.”
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin this Thursday, 30 October.
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