Showing no signs of slowing down, Zac Purton dominated Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting with a career-best opening-day haul of five wins.

The eight-time champion jockey started the new campaign by booting home his first three rides – Perfect Peach, Ka Ying Rising and Super Strong Kid – before scoring on Jamie Richards-trained duo Groovy Feeling and Bulb General.

“It’s always good to start well,” said Purton, whose previous best haul on the first day of a Hong Kong season was four winners in 2018 and last year.

“The weather was a bit of a worry early in the day and then all day, but the track raced well and the horses turned up.”

Richards’ double delight

Jamie Richards hopes an opening-day double is a sign of things to come as the accomplished Kiwi handler attempts to put “a shocker last year” behind him.

Richards was all smiles after Groovy Feeling stormed home to narrowly win the second section of the Class Four Ma On Shan Handicap (1,200m) before Bulb General stamped his early claims as a four-year-old series prospect with an outstanding triumph in the Class Three Lantau Peak Handicap (1,200m).

“He was a bit closer in the run than I thought he was going to be but it was a nice watch,” Richards said of Bulb General, who made it back-to-back wins when he beat Akashvani by a length and a half.

“Obviously, all the owners here want to be a part of the four-year-old series and let’s hope he’s good enough to keep going and get a few more rating points in hand.

“I asked Zac to ride this horse a month ago and wanted to try and start strong and try and give the owners and everyone here a bit of faith that I hadn’t forgotten how to do it after a shocker last year. The team has been working hard during the off-season and hopefully we can get it going again.”

Ho’s comeback complete

Seven months after suffering serious head injuries in a nasty race fall, Vincent Ho Chak-yiu was back in the winners’ enclosure after booting home The Heir for his former boss Caspar Fownes on Sunday.

“It was great. Of course, after a long period of time – seven months – coming back is not easy,” said Ho, whose only other ride at his comeback meeting was a close second on the Fownes-trained Family Fortune.

“Boss always supported me and he gave me two in-form, good horses. I’m really grateful that he always sticks with me and has my back, which is not easy.

“To have a good start is great but mentally, everything does help with good results. It tastes a lot sweeter to have a winner like this after a tough period of time. All the sacrifices I made and the hard work paid off and hopefully things keep coming like this.”

Bentley answers late call

Harry Bentley made the most of a last-minute pickup ride on Markwin when he guided Cody Mo Wai-kit’s progressive galloper to victory in the Class Two Tai Mo Shan Handicap (1,400m).

The British jockey was a late replacement for Derek Leung Ka-chun, who could not make Markwin’s weight of 116lb, and delivered the goods when the five-year-old ran on powerfully to account for Chiu Chow Spirit by half a length.

Stewards fined Leung HK$5,000.

Chang makes Perfect start

Michael Chang Chun-wai got off to surely his best ever start to a season at Sha Tin on Sunday, snaring the first two races thanks to victories from You’remyeverything and Perfect Peach.

After Chang admitted he’d never won the opening race of the season following You’remyeverything’s success in the Class Five Grassy Hill Handicap (1,200m), he then went and snared the second thanks to Perfect Peach’s victory in the Class Five Kowloon Peak Handicap (1,600m).

“It’s my first time [winning the first race]. It’s a good start,” said Chang.

You’remyeverything came from near last on cornering under Derek Leung Ka-chun to see off Speedy Smartie by half a length and deny South African trainer Brett Crawford the perfect start to his Hong Kong career.

After reaching a ratings high of 82 after three wins in his maiden Hong Kong season, the former Tony Cruz-trained eight-year-old had slid all the way down to a mark of 27.

“His rating went from 80-something and has now dropped down to 20-something, so he deserved to win one race. It’s just the system,” said Chang.

“All I can say honestly is it’s the handicap – he’s much better than that [mark of 27].”

Also racing off a career low in the ratings, Perfect Peach built into the race nicely from midfield under Zac Purton to eventually salute by three-quarters of a length.