Derek Leung pockets first Group win in two years as Encountered bags Ladies’ Purse

Sunday’s Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) winner Encountered carried Derek Leung Ka-chun to his most prestigious victory since the 2021 Jockey Club Cup, and this year’s edition of the Group Two race over 2,000m in two weeks is likely to be the prosperous partnership’s next assignment.

Not since Reliable Team’s surprise neck success in the Jockey Club Cup two seasons ago – he was the $17.30 sixth favourite in the seven-runner event – had Leung, Hong Kong’s leading local rider in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns, won a Group contest.

But Leung, whom Manfred Man Ka-leung said “rode a perfect race” aboard Encountered to win the Ladies’ Purse by one and a quarter lengths from Champion Dragon under Matthew Poon Ming-fai, made it four victories from six starts on the Churchill gelding and snapped his streak of 29 black-type losses.

“Thanks to the owner and the trainer for their support,” Leung said soon after his demonstrative horseback celebrations on a galloper with whom he linked up following last year’s Classic Series.

“[Encountered] has been very honest for me. I tried to be in the first three in the race. I know [Money Catcher] never stops, so he was a good horse to follow. I just wanted my horse to keep his momentum and keep going. He’s still improving.”

Leung positioned Encountered in the slipstream of defending Ladies’ Purse champion Money Catcher in the early stages, and the top-weighted title holder led the nine-strong field – Nimble Nimbus was a race-day scratching – through the opening 1,000m half a second slower than the Group standard time.

The Ladies’ Purse pace cranked up in the second half of the 1,800m handicap, and after the field entered the home straight, Leung moved Encountered off the fence and pushed him through the emerging gap between Money Catcher and Champion Dragon.

Encountered ran on gamely to register the eighth victory of his 21-start career – one at Doncaster in the United Kingdom, three at Sha Tin and four at Happy Valley – with Champion Dragon and La City Blanche filling the Ladies’ Purse minor placings, Money Catcher fading to finish fifth and odds-on favourite Super Sunny Sing flopping in sixth.

Last term, Encountered’s two worst results occurred the two times he raced beyond 1,650m – 12th in the quickly run Hong Kong Classic Cup (1,800m) and ninth in the slowly run Derby (2,000m). However, Man believes it makes more sense for him to tackle the Jockey Club Cup over 10 furlongs on November 19 than the Jockey Club Mile at the same meeting.

“You saw this race – he could wait, wait and wait before coming through to win,” Man said following Encountered’s third-up triumph. “That’s why I think 2,000m may be better than 1,600m for him now.”

With last season’s Jockey Club Cup winner Romantic Warrior heading straight to this season’s Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m), the major domestic lead-up contest to December 10’s HK$36 million event could have a field similar to that of the Ladies’ Purse.

Russian Emperor, whose last three victories have come in 2,400m races, and enigmatic Beauty Joy, who has not won any of his past 13 starts, may be the only highly rated gallopers apart from the Ladies’ Purse runners to line up in the Jockey Club Cup.