There have been plenty of exceptional debut victories already this season, but the Caspar Fownes-trained Justifying’s at Sha Tin on Sunday might rank as the best of them.

Backing up a pair of sizzling trial wins at Conghua, Justifying showcased explosive speed to blow his rivals away in the Class Four Fu Tai Handicap, stopping the clock at 55.67 seconds for the 1,000m.

The Justify three-year-old ran more than a second inside standard time when strolling to victory by three and three-quarter lengths under Luke Ferraris.

“He’s a very fast horse and he’s still got a long way to go because he’s still quite immature,” Fownes said.

“I gave him the two trials and normally I would give them a few more trials, but he just looked to be ready to come to the races. He’s a pretty straightforward horse and showed a lot of speed, so he’s quite exciting.”

Justifying was an impressive winner of a jumpout and trial in Australia before he was snapped up by Fownes.

His scorching early speed is somewhat surprising given his pedigree – Justify was a Triple Crown winner in America and one of his half-sisters, Queen Beira, a mile winner in Australia.

“It’s always nice when they can come out and win first start in Hong Kong,” Fownes said.

Trainer Caspar Fownes enjoys Justifying’s win.

“Obviously you get a penalty for that and we hope he can improve through the season, but he’d be a horse I’d be concentrating on more for next season, because I think he’s still backward.

“He’s got a lovely frame. Another five or six months is going to be his friend.”

Orman strikes again

Still buzzing from his first Hong Kong winner on Wednesday night, James Orman’s dream week hit another high when he landed his maiden Sha Tin victory on The Concentration on Sunday.

The Australian jockey was successful on his fourth ride in the city, booting home $26 chance Charming Babe at Happy Valley for Ricky Yiu Poon-fai, before striking again for the same stable just two rides later.

“It’s pretty surreal, I’m still pinching myself from Wednesday to be honest with you,” said Orman, who is licensed in Hong Kong until April 2 as injury cover.

Settling midfield on the inside rail, The Concentration gained a run near the inside approaching the 200m and ran on strongly to win the Class Five Lung Yat Handicap (1,200m).

It was the son of Hellbent’s second triumph from 18 starts.

“To be honest, I was pretty confident with this horse today because I know he’s only won one from 17, but he was one of the first horses I trialled when I got here and he trialled up really good against horses higher in the ratings,” Orman said.

“I galloped him on Thursday and I thought he would be really hard to beat. I was always going to get a good run from [barrier two] and I got a good run through today.”

Yiu went onto enjoy a double on the afternoon, also taking out the Class Four Yan Oi Tong Cup (1,400m) with Lucky Fionn.

Jockey Club caps livery fees

The Jockey Club will invest a further HK$140 million in lowering the cost of horse ownership in Hong Kong, confirming livery fees will again be capped at HK$30,000 for season 2025-26.

In a bid to generate interest among prospective owners ahead of horse ballot applications opening on Monday, the club will again reduce livery fees to HK$25,000 for the first four months after arrival and its increased financial assistance for the export of retired gallopers will continue.

“The investment that owners make in sourcing high-quality horses from around the world to support Hong Kong’s horse racing is a vital pillar of the club’s success and it is essential that we continue to find means by which we can assist owners and ensure that they have an excellent ownership experience,” said Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew Harding.

There will also be an extension to the current Private Purchase bonus scheme, where horses rated 70 or higher at the time of import are eligible for a HK$1.5 million bonus when they record a first Class Three win within their first two years of racing.

The PP Bonus Scheme encompasses two categories of horses in Class Three – the existing criteria of those with a rating of 63 or above at the time of import who first win before the age of five and those with a rating of 70 or above at the time of import who first win within a two-year window.

Additionally, with immediate effect there will be a new cap of seven (up from four) syndicates any one member can join and a new cap of seven horses (up from five) owners can own at any one time.