Hugh Bowman has celebrated many elite-level victories, but even he was nearly speechless after piloting Red Lion to a surprise win over a heavily supported favourite at Sha Tin.
The Group 1 Champions Mile was expected to be another triumph for Voyage Bubble, partnered by James McDonald and sent out a dominant $1.40 favourite, but Red Lion, at odds of $90, pulled off a stunning upset for trainer John Size.
“This is no surprise because he ran second in the race last year but I am a bit lost for words,” Bowman said.
Size, who recently benefited from the extension of Hong Kong’s trainer retirement age from 70 to 75, was full of praise for the gelding.
“He always does his best and always puts himself in position to win,” Size said. “We needed plenty in our favour and maybe a bit of moisture around helped him.
“Hughey could rate him as he wanted to and that contributed to him winning the race.
“Today he showed the determination of a real race horse and he looked like he would win the race and he decided he would.”
Red Lion now boasts eight wins and 11 placings from 38 starts for owner Ronald Arculli, who also raced Melbourne Cup warrior Red Cadeaux.
“What is going on in this horse’s mind is so important and it is difficult to beat a horse in that frame of mind.”
This was Red Lion’s first win since claiming the Chinese New Year Trophy in 2024 and he successfully survived a protest from McDonald over interference in the closing stages.
“He was super. I was really proud of his effort,” McDonald said of Voyage Bubble.