Only one horse has run faster at Sha Tin over 1200 metres than Sunday night’s Gr.2 Premier Cup winner Tomodachi Kokoroe (Written Tycoon) and it’s his stablemate Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}). The world’s fastest sprinter set the track record at Sha Tin in the start prior to winning Australia’s The Everest.
The David Hayes-trained seven-year-old gelding Tomodachi Kokoroe is flying this season with three wins from as many starts. It’s a massive resurgence in form, as the gelding hadn’t won since February 2024 before this current run of victories. The Group 2 victory means he becomes stakes winner number 81 for Champion Australian Sire Written Tycoon.
“He runs time, so you can’t ignore that,” Hayes told hkjc.com about the 1.07.39s win.
“If he gets a good run in a big race, he’ll run well. He’ll probably run in the traditional (December meeting) lead-up race.” Hayes referred to the Gr.2 Jockey Club Sprint on November 23, with the international meeting to be run on December 14.
“He’ll run on that day. And whether he runs against Ka Ying (Rising), we’ll see how Ka Ying does when he gets out of quarantine.”
Tomodachi Kokoroe was ridden by Harry Bentley and Hayes praised the ride. “Sometimes you paint a race map that you pray your horse will get, and Harry (Bentley) put him in that spot. Harry wasn’t happy with the run he gave him last time, but was shocked by how he fought and held on. And then when he gave him a good run, like first up, he’s killed it. That was a 10-out-of-10 ride.”
Originally sold by Glastonbury Farm for $175,000 to UHC at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, Tomodachi Kokoroe placed at three in Bendigo, when named Bank Bank Bank. He then went through an Inglis Digital Sale in March 2022 when R Ludwig purchased him for $25,000.
He was transferred to Northern Queensland where he won six in succession as a late three-year-old and early four-year-old. Exported to Hong Kong, he took a year before he won again but now has 13 wins from 43 starts and earnings of AU$84,150 and HK$16,051,920 (AU$3.2 million).
One of four winners for unplaced Fastnet Rock mare Rainbeam, Tomodachi Kokoroe is from the family of Hong Kong’s six-time stakes winner Scintillation (Danehill {USA}).
Written for TTRAusNZ
