Per Incanto’s Unicorn sprints to Cup win

Classic Unicorn headed a successful weekend for Little Avondale stallion Per Incanto when he made it two wins from two starts when successful in the Class 3 Members Cup Handicap (1000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Jockey Zac Purton, who won six of the 10 races on the day, had been in the saddle for the three-year-old’s debut but handed the reins to Derek Leung when the Chris So-trained gelding was allotted a weight below Purton’s minimum. The chestnut sprinted home in 55.09s, a length and a quarter ahead of Purton on Seven Heavens.

“He’s a nice horse,” So said. “He showed good pace again. I think he’ll better after next season and in future I think he can go 1200 and 1400 metres but not yet, he’s still learning a lot. He doesn’t concentrate but when the pressure comes, he kicks.

“A lot of people called me in the last two days because he had lost 40 pounds from his last run but his blood tests were good, he was eating well. You can’t take weight as a standard from his first run, he’s a baby, so for me, I thought he’d run well.

“Before they sent him to Hong Kong, they told me he won by 12 lengths in a trial,” So said. “We knew the horse was impressive, I haven’t had a horse like this for a long time.”

New Zealand-based bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo was instrumental in identifying the son of Per Incanto for his Hong Kong connections.

Initially sold as a yearling by Little Avondale for $40,000 at the 2017 NZB Select Sale, Classic Unicorn was re-offered at the Ready To Run Sale but failed to meet his reserve.

He then had two trials for Karen Fursdon for a runner-up finish at Cambridge and a dominant win at Avondale.

“He trialled well when he ran second at Cambridge and when he went to Avondale, he won like an Open class sprinter,” Cataldo said.

“He ran time. He’s a big athlete, a real machine to look at and he just looks like a top-class sprinter.”