Alexis Badel has paid tribute to Wellington after the four-time Group One winner was retired over the weekend after suffering a bleed following a trial at Happy Valley on Saturday morning.

All three of Badel’s Group One wins in Hong Kong have come aboard Wellington and the Frenchman partnered the seven-year-old 18 times for eight victories.

“It was a fantastic adventure, but all good things come to an end. He’s been such a great horse for Hong Kong racing and he deserves a good retirement. I have a lot of respect for this horse, he’s a true champion. I’m just grateful,” said Badel of a horse aboard whom he won the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) twice and the Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) once.

All 12 of Wellington’s wins came while he was trained by Richard Gibson, including the 2022 Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) under Ryan Moore.

He was transferred to Jamie Richards this season and reeled off three third placings, signing off with more than HK$68 million in prize money to his name.

“He’s been a fantastic horse. I’ll always be grateful to Mr Gibson for the opportunity to ride Wellington,” Badel said. “When I arrived in Hong Kong I was only here short term and I was a new face, so I’m grateful for the support.

“The owners have been great to me, very understanding all the way. They really allowed me to ride the horse with no pressure, to ride the horse for the horse.”

Badel was in the saddle for Saturday morning’s trial and was set to ride him in next month’s Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup.

“By the time he did his stand-down [period of three months], he wasn’t going to be ready for Champions Day and obviously it’s a long wait until next season,” Richards said.

“He’s been such a great campaigner for his owners and we’d hate for anything to happen to him, so he’s been retired as a sound and happy horse.”

Hewitson hit for six

Lyle Hewitson has been suspended for six meetings after being charged with improper riding for his effort aboard Joyful Champion in Sunday’s opener.

After stalking the leaders cornering for home, Hewitson was judged to have “endeavoured to force a run when there was not sufficient room to do so, resulting in Joyful Champion making heavy contact with Copartner Era, resulting in Copartner Era becoming badly unbalanced and being taken from its rightful running and Joyful Champion also becoming badly unbalanced and being positioned too close to the heels of Super Hornet”.

Hewitson, who has been suspended from February 28 to March 17, wasn’t the only jockey to feel the wrath of stewards of Sunday, with Ellis Wong Chi-wang (three meetings) and Brenton Avdulla (two) outed for careless riding.

Double just the tonic for Chau

Back from a cold after missing the end of the Lunar New Year meeting and Wednesday’s Happy Valley fixture, Jerry Chau Chun-lok teamed up with Benno Yung Tin-pang to land a quick-fire double at Sha Tin on Sunday.

“It’s been a tough week for me,” Chau said after wins aboard Only U and James Tak. “I had a cold and a high temperature but the club provided good treatment and good medicine and I was able to come back and perform. I feel well now.”

Only U broke through at his fifth Hong Kong start in the Class Four TVB Yan Oi Tong Charity Show Handicap (1,400m), while exciting three-year-old James Tak relished the step up to 1,200m to return to the winners’ list in the second section of the Class Four TVB Yan Chai Charity Show Handicap (1,200m).

“He can certainly handle the 1,200m. I think Class Three will be OK for him, I think he’ll keep improving,” Yung said of James Tak.

“Only U didn’t really surprise me because last time he ran well. He was caught wide all the way but he still finished off well.”

Leung to chase overseas Winner

Derek Leung Ka-chun will partner Victor The Winner in next month’s Group One Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1,200m), with trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing confirming only a mishap will stop his speedster making the trip to Japan.

Victorious under Leung in January’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m), Victor The Winner will have his next start in the Chukyo dash on March 24 – the same day as the Hong Kong Derby.

“He’s very likely to go. He’ll go straight over there. I’ll stay for the Derby and send one of my assistants over there,” Shum said. “I’m looking forward to trying but I haven’t yet checked how good the Japanese sprinters are.”

All being well, Victor The Winner will be Hong Kong’s first runner in Japan since Lucky Bubbles’ Group One Sprinters Stakes (1,200m) tilt in 2018 and first Takamatsunomiya Kinen competitor since Blizzard finished fifth in that same year.

Connections will be looking to emulate the efforts of the Paul O’Sullivan-trained Aerovelocity, who won the Takamatsunomiya Kinen for Hong Kong under Zac Purton in 2015.

Meanwhile, one of the gallopers Victor The Winner brushed aside in the Centenary Sprint Cup, $1.3 favourite Lucky Sweynesse, has passed his official veterinary examination.

Lame after that disappointing sixth, Lucky Sweynesse will plot a course towards the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup on March 10.