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Fownes-trained gelding gives Newgate Farm’s Deep Field his tenth stakes winner
In a phenomenal show of strength crowned by victories in the final two Group races of the Hong Kong season, Caspar Fownes has taken a decisive upper hand in the battle with John Size for the 2020/21 trainers’ championship with a quintet at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Bidding for a fourth title, Fownes leads 11-time champion Size 74-67 with seven meetings left in the current term after his imposing 12-horse string dominated with five victories and two seconds across ten races.
Sky Field’s (4 g ex Laravissante by O’Reilly) rasping finish in The Premier Cup (Gr 3, 1400m) validated Fownes’ faith in the Deep Field (Northern Meteor) gelding and provided Blake Shinn with a massive thrill, leaving Fownes to plot a possible course to December’s 2021 Hong Kong International Races.
The victory also handed his Newgate Farm-based sire Deep Field with his tenth stakes winner.
“I’ve told you how good he is and it was wonderful to see Blake get the result with him. He settled beautifully for Blake last start and again today over an extra furlong he settled really well. In the run ‘I said ‘I know what he can do’. The best is yet to come with him, so it’s wonderful,” Fownes said.
Shinn enjoyed a trouble-free trip before unleashing the gelding.
“Caspar just emphasised to switch the horse off and use his best asset, which is his turn of foot. The horse did everything right,” the Melbourne Cup-winning jockey said.
“When I produced him, he picked them up effortlessly and ran right through the line. It’s great because we’ve all believed in this horse’s ability and he stood up and beat a quality field. It’s just fantastic to win a Group race here in Hong Kong.”
Describing Sky Field’s acceleration as “electric”, Shinn said the chestnut “feels like a genuine Group 1 horse and he’s been placed in the sprint two runs ago at the highest level in Hong Kong and from the first time I got on him, I thought he was a Group 1 horse.
“Even though he didn’t win a Group 1 today, I’m sure next preparation he’s only going to flourish and become a really big force in the coming season,” the Australian said.
“To win this race here today for Caspar, who’s been a supporter from day one, is very meaningful. It’s Caspar’s day today.”
Fownes said Sky Darci will now be spelled.
“He was great, he’s had a huge season and it was a great effort to come back again at the end of the year. You know how hot it is and we’ve kept them up all season,” he said.
Bought for NZ$175,000 at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2018 from the draft of Trelawney Stud, Sky Field has now won five times and placed another five times in 14 career starts, with his earnings now totalling over $1.5 million.
Sky Field is one of five winners out of winning O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) mare Laravissante and he becomes her first stakes winner. His second dam is Mer Du Sud (Bluebird) who produced nine winners headed by Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) winner The Duke (Danehill).
After producing a filly by Pariah (Redoute’s Choice) last year, Laravissante was covered again by Deep Field.
Deep Field’s stakes winners include Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) winner Portland Sky and the Group 2 winners Cosmic Force, Dig Deep, Xilong and Quantum Mechanic. Sky Field is the first stakes winner in Hong Kong for his sire while the son of Northern Meteor (Encosta De Lago) has sired another ten winners in the enclave.
He will stand for a career high fee of $88,000 (inc GST) this spring, up from $55,000 (inc GST) last year when he covered a book of 200 mares.