Tuchel (NZ) Takes Premier Plate

A gallant runner-up in the Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) earlier this year, Tuchel (NZ) (Redwood) broke through for a well-deserved first stakes win in Sunday’s HK$3.9m Group Three Premier Plate (1800m) at Sha Tin. 

With his victory in the final Group race of the Hong Kong season, Tuchel improved his career record to six wins and six placings from 15 starts. The four-year-old has earned HK$17.2m, which is the equivalent of NZ$3.5m – more than 26 times his $130,000 purchase price from Book 2 of Karaka 2020.

Tuchel has never finished further back than fourth in an impressive campaign this season, and his achievements earned him hot favouritism for Sunday’s Premier Plate. Aided by a perfect ride from Zac Purton, the result was never in much doubt.

After initially trailing the front-running Packing Award (Shamus Award), Tuchel eased back to settle in third approaching the 1200-metre mark. The field bunched up and moved closer to the leader coming up to the home turn, and Tuchel was travelling with ease as he cruised forward three off the fence.

Purton pressed the button in the straight and Tuchel bounded clear, opening up a big margin within a few powerful strides.

Purton eased off the accelerator inside the final 100 metres, allowing the strong-finishing The Best Peach (Twilight Son) to reduce the margin to half a length, but the race was in safe keeping.

“I think the slow pace of this race helped him,” Purton said. “He’s possibly a little bit suspect at 1800 metres, and today he had the weight advantage against the older horses and he’s got a good turn of foot. I think it played into our hands.

“He has been terrific all season. He’s had some hard runs, he’s turned up and he continues to get better.”

Tuchel is trained by John Size for owner Philip Chan Kwok Chung.

Sunday’s Premier Plate marked the conclusion of feature racing in Hong Kong this season, and Tuchel’s victory was the 14th black-type success for a Karaka graduate at Sha Tin this term.

Superstar sprinter Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse) heads that group with seven stakes wins including three Group Ones, while Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro) added another four feature victories to his glittering record, three of them at the elite level. Money Catcher (NZ) (Ferlax) was also a dual Group Three winner during the season.

Tuchel was bred and sold by Westbury Stud, and he is the sixth stakes winner this season for Westbury’s in-form stallion Redwood. That list also features the trans-Tasman Group One-winning Karaka graduate Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ), along with fellow big-race-winning Karaka purchases Platinum Invador (NZ), Antino (NZ) and Solidify (NZ).

Vendor	Westbury Stud
Purchaser	Simple Bloodstock Services (Hong Kong)
Breeding	Redwood – Trista Rossa
Sale	Lot 932, Karaka 2020 Book 2, $130,000
Bred by	G Harvey