Harry Bentley believes he has a realistic chance of landing Sunday’s Hong Kong Derby on Stormy Grove.
Bentley won the second leg of the Hong Kong Four-Year-Old Classic Series, the Kong Kong Classic Cup, on Marc Chan’s son of Toronado and has maintained the ride.
“It was a really good race to have ticked off the list,” said Bentley. “It was certainly my biggest win in Hong Kong and the race comes with a lot of prestige. It’s obviously a feeder for the Derby so winning that race you get a little bit excited at the thought of going into the big race with a really good chance.
“There’s always a big hype around the Derby, it’s the standout race of the season, and what comes with that is plenty of excitement and expectation, so I’m feeling that at the moment. The excitement is there, and I can’t wait.”
He went on: “There are obviously a few questions marks about whether the trip is going to suit my horse.
“He has been quite a free-going horse in the past but we seem to have found the key with him, by settling and relaxing him early on, which means he’s able to finish with a really impressive turn of foot as he’s done on his last two starts. If all goes smoothly and he settles, I’d expect him to see out the trip.”
Weighing up the opposition for a race that will be live on Sky Sports Racing, Bentley said: “It really is such an open contest. Numbers is the proven stayer having won a Group Three over 2000 metres (10 furlongs) and finishing second in a Group One in Australia over 2400 metres (12 furlongs), so he has stamina in spades. He likes to usually go to the front and hopefully he sets a good, even pace.
“Little Paradise is a really impressive type. He looked to have a pretty hard trip last time, he was slowly away and battled to get a clear run, but once he did get a bit of air, he seemed to quicken up nicely. You’d have to put him in the mix.”
