Sky Jewellery Dominates at Sha Tin as Atzeni Lands Treble

Sky Jewellery continued his march up the ratings with a dominant performance at Sha Tin on Sunday as part of a treble for jockey Andrea Atzeni and a double for champion trainer John Size. On a day featuring thunder, lightning and torrential rain, Size's excitement machine emerged through the gloom to collect the Class Two Members Cup (1,600m) in the manner of a horse rocketing his way firmly to the top. Sent off an imposing $1.65 favourite, Sky Jewellery settled midfield under Atzeni and hugged the rails throughout. As the field turned into the straight, he was peeled to the outside and began to make an ominous run towards the leaders. Size's Beauty Eternal, winner of the 2024 Group One Champions Mile on his last start on ground yielding or worse, set firm fractions on the lead, but Sky Jewellery waded through the mud and picked him up 150m out, ultimately winning by a comfortable length and three-quarters. Having missed the four-year-old series after bleeding from both nostrils in November, The Autumn Sun galloper has made up for lost time very quickly, winning on return and now in a hot Class Two against some smart rivals. Although that bleed will always be in the back of his mind, Size is looking ahead with a horse he clearly thinks has a very bright future ahead of him after making it five wins from seven starts. "He's recovered well [from the bleed], but it's always there, and it's always something we'll have to think about. He's come back very strong and has continued to go on from where he left off," Size said. "He identified himself as a racehorse the first day he went to the races and has continued in that vein. "We'll see what he's like during next week, and then we'll make a plan for the rest of the season. I'm not sure [he handled conditions], Andrea said he struggled a little bit in the ground but because of the horse he is, he's going to overcome it. "He's always shown and promised to do this sort of thing and he's never let us down. That's what good horses do – they overcome adversity. That's how they identify themselves immediately." Size kept himself within striking range of the trainers' championship with a double on the day thanks to Enthusium, who got the better of Aerodynamics in a desperate finish to the Class Three Conghua Racecourse Handicap (2,000m). Settled towards the back of the pack, the British import made sustained ground in the straight but looked to have run out of time to catch Aerodynamics, who took over at the top of the straight. The son of Dubawi never gave up, however, and charged home down the middle of the track to get up by a short head. "The rain might have helped him. There were a few things going on, but certainly his character's still there – he tried to win the race and he did, so you can't do any more than that," Size said. "He's got something to keep his mouth closed [after trying to bite another horse last time], so that might have helped. I thought he did something today but I'll look at the film later. "Andrea said he's going to win another race and he's going to win a nice race. He's just one of those that's not quite ready yet." The wins bring Size up to 43 winners for the campaign, eight off the pace of championship leader Mark Newnham. The 13-time champion would never admit he is still in the hunt, but in a season where six trainers are split by just eight wins after 68 meetings, there is plenty more water to go under the bridge. Atzeni's day was made even better in the next race, when smashing youngster Baby Sakura was a very comfortable winner of the Class Three Shenzhen Centre Handicap (1,400m). Atzeni's treble was soured by a one-meeting suspension for careless riding on Master Lucky in race two.