Photo: HKJC
Chill Chibi took another significant step towards the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) in March after Danny Shum’s talented young stayer overpowered older rivals to win the Class 3 Dunnottar Castle Handicap (1800m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
With four wins and a narrow second from five starts, Chill Chibi has emerged as a leading contender for the lucrative 2024 Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which features the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) on 4 February, the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on 3 March and the BMW Hong Kong Derby on 24 March.
Shum confirmed Chill Chibi would continue towards the blue-riband contest after the Wrote gelding fanned to the outside of the 10-horse field and charging from last approaching the turn to win arrogantly under Jerry Chau.
“He’s a nice horse and he's getting better day by day. Even though he carried top weight (133lb), I was still confident he could win the race,” Shum said.
“I can enter him (next) over 2000m at Sha Tin or run him in a 1650m Class 2 at Happy Valley. After that, we'll give him a bit of a break and go straight to the Derby. I will talk to Jerry tomorrow morning and decide which one is the best for him.”
Asked if the four-year-old was the best horse he had ridden, Chau said: “I think so, he’s got potential. He’s a fantastic horse, he’s got a good heart and every time he fights for me.
“The early stages (tonight), he can’t catch up with the pace but when I started to ask him to go – I didn’t want to get into a traffic jam – and he showed his talent.”
Chill Chibi was purchased as a yearling out of Highview's 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 draft for $80,000 when knocked down to Bryce and Ginger Tankard of Waikato Bloodstock on behalf of the owner.
He is out of three-time winning Danroad mare My Amazing Cool and hails from the family of Wrote's Group Three winning daughter Best Seller as well as Group One winners Celebrity Queen and Dreamaway.
