It was a bullish Tony Cruz who declared “this horse is going places” after putting the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) on the table for California Voce following the galloper’s victory in Monday’s Class Three Red Packet Handicap (1,600m) at Sha Tin.

Twice successful when trained by Joseph O’Brien in Ireland, it took California Voce 11 starts to taste success in Hong Kong but Cruz is confident his four-year-old is just getting started.

“Hopefully he can get his rating up and get into the Derby,” Cruz said of the son of Bated Breath, who will find himself on a rating in the mid-to-high 70s after Monday’s success. “He needs longer distance, but this horse is going places. He won well today.”

One of the few winners on the card to make significant ground, California Voce thundered home from the back of the field, carving through traffic in the home straight under a peach of a Brenton Avdulla steer to see off Sweet Encounter by a length and a quarter.

Avdulla flushed another one in the very next race, ringing up a running double aboard Howdeepisyourlove in the Class Two Yue Yee Handicap (1,200m).

It’s a welcome return to form for Avdulla, who’d only had one winner since November heading into Monday’s meeting, with the Australian enjoying his best day at the races since his four-timer back on November 19. He moves to 14 winners for the season after 45 of the 88 meetings.

Newnham snares HK first

Mark Newnham is hopeful the debut victory of Windcheater in the first section of the Class Four Good Fortune Handicap (1,200m) is the sign of things to come in the back half of the 2023-24 campaign.

Newnham’s first debut winner in Hong Kong, Windcheater was scratched before his first intended run last month because he was unable to be bridled, but he didn’t disappoint his followers this time around.

“We had a little bit of a false start a couple of weeks ago, but the horse has certainly got plenty of talent,” Newnham said.

“I was a little bit nervous at about the 200m marker when he had nowhere to go, but the class horse that he is, as soon as the gap appeared he was able to take advantage of it.

“He’s a big raw horse. Prior to coming here he’d only had one trial, so he’s open to a fair bit of improvement.

“We haven’t raced many first-starters yet, but we’ve got a few there and it’s just a matter of being patient.

“Today is the beginning of the second half of the season, and I’ve always said the second half will be our time to get some numbers.”

Windcheater, who was sent off the $3.55 favourite and saluted by a length and a quarter under Luke Ferraris, was one of two debut winners on the card, with Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s Voyage Samurai also delivering at the first time of asking.

“I think he will be able to stay longer and that’s why I started him at 1,400m. He’s got a big stride and he trialled really well last time,” Lor said after his four-year-old lead throughout in the Class Four Lucky Star Handicap (1,400m).

“Today, it’s better leading, so that helped in the race. He’s won by half a length, so maybe we’ll stay at 1,400m.”

HK$2.4 billion stable facelift starts

Three trainers moved stables last week as part of the Jockey Club’s full-scale renovations that got under way at the start of February and will ramp up in the coming months.

In a comprehensive facelift of the Sha Tin stables that is expected to cost HK$2.4 billion and take until 2029 to complete, the renovations will see the addition of outside wash bays, covered horse walkers, new air conditioning, better offices for staff and widened streets to increase space and safety.

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Dual-site trainers will have the luxury of sending additional gallopers to the Jockey Club’s facility in Conghua, while handlers will take turns shifting while their stables are worked on.

Manfred Man Ka-leung, Benno Yung Tin-pang and Lor are the first cabs off the rank, with the latter finding himself back where it all started in 2017.

“We moved last Monday,” Lor said. “It’s OK, my first season was in block eight then two years later I moved to block six. Now I have moved back to block eight. I have to stay over there for one year and then I can move back.”