Highly Proactive (NZ) (Coats Choice), who raced as The Last Won in New Zealand, brought up his first win on Wednesday night since arriving in Hong Kong earlier this year.
The four-year-old son of Coats Choice shrugged off inexperience and a wide passage to take the Class 3 Venus Handicap (1200m) by three quarters of a length at only his third Hong Kong start.
“I was trying not to do too much early but I had four horses to my inside that I had to cross. I had to just work that extra little bit and I was surprised that this horse kept on finding into the straight,” jockey Karis Teetan said.
“He’s a tough little horse; it was a very good win so hopefully he can improve on this.”
The Francis Lui-trained gelding arrived with a record of two from two in New Zealand when trained by Sabin Kirkland, having been sourced by the handler’s retired former stable apprentice Kei Chiong.
“Kei bought the horse, somebody recommended it and she’s friends with the owner,” Lui said.
“The horse was drawn 12, he was caught wide, but he can run!”
