Hong Kong Classic Mile winner Little Paradise is set for a change of stables after opening his five year old campaign with a disappointing sixth in Sunday’s G3 Celebration Cup at Sha Tin.
Owner Ko Kam Piu has publicly confirmed that the 109 rated gelding will be moved from Jimmy Ting’s stable, with Danny Shum expected to take over his training in the coming days. The decision brings an end to an association that produced seven victories from 14 Hong Kong starts and more than HK$16.3 million in prize money.
The timing is significant. Little Paradise had already established himself as one of the leading middle distance horses in Hong Kong, winning the Hong Kong Classic Mile and the G3 Premier Cup during a highly productive four year old season.
His latest performance, however, raised questions about his racing pattern and his ability to settle during a race.
Seven wins under Jimmy Ting
Little Paradise joined Ting’s stable and developed into a consistent winner, recording seven victories from 14 starts in Hong Kong.
Five of those wins came last season, including the biggest result of his career when he captured the Hong Kong Classic Mile in February. He followed that performance with another major success in June, winning the G3 Premier Cup over 1,400 meters.
The Premier Cup carried additional significance for Ting because it gave the trainer his first Group race victory.
Little Paradise entered the new season with a strong reputation and was immediately installed as the $1.90 favorite for the Celebration Cup. Zac Purton took the ride, but the gelding never appeared comfortable during the 1,400 meter contest.
He eventually finished sixth, beaten one and a half lengths by Hong Kong Derby winner Invincible Ibis.
The margin was not large, but the manner of the performance left more questions than answers.
Purton points to stop start race
Purton said the race unfolded in an unusual way and offered an explanation for why Little Paradise struggled to find a rhythm.
“It was a messy-run race,” Purton told Idol Horse.
The jockey said several runners pushed forward immediately after the start as they attempted to secure favourable positions. Once the field settled, however, the pace changed sharply.
Purton said Keith Yeung then slowed the race aboard a horse that prefers to roll along freely, creating a stop start pattern that did not suit Little Paradise.
The pace later changed again when the field accelerated with about 550 meters remaining.
According to Purton, Little Paradise was forced to cope with two contrasting phases of the race, first being restrained and then asked to accelerate quickly.
For a horse that has shown a tendency to race keenly, that lack of continuity can create problems.
The gelding now faces another adjustment, this time away from Ting’s stable and into the care of Shum.
Danny Shum takes over
The expected move to Shum gives Little Paradise a new training environment and reunites Ko with a trainer with whom he has already enjoyed major success.
The most notable example is Little Bridge, who carried Ko’s colours to victory in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2012.
Zac Purton was also aboard Little Bridge for that international success, adding another connection between the owner, trainer and jockey involved in Little Paradise’s career.
For Shum, the arrival of a 109 rated gelding with proven Group race form represents another significant addition to his stable.
The immediate question is what race programme Shum will choose.
Little Paradise had originally been aimed at the G3 Sha Tin Trophy on October 19. That plan could change following the stable transfer, particularly because the horse will need time to settle into a new routine.
Purton will not be available for that race regardless. The jockey committed on Monday to ride Mark Newnham’s My Wish.
Purton had partnered Little Paradise in the gelding’s two barrier trials since Hugh Bowman was sidelined with a hip injury, but his decision to ride My Wish means the partnership will not continue into the Sha Tin Trophy.
Racing manners remain a concern
The stable change also comes amid questions about Little Paradise’s racing habits.
Hall of Fame jockey Shane Dye addressed the issue in his Idol Thoughts column, arguing that the gelding still has not fully learned how to race efficiently.
Dye pointed to Little Paradise’s lack of natural gate speed and his tendency to miss the start at times. He also noted that attempts to push the horse closer to the lead can create another problem because Little Paradise may begin to race too keenly.
“When he is pushed to be closer to the lead, the horse over-races,” Dye wrote.
The problem, according to Dye, does not simply disappear once the horse finds a position. Little Paradise can struggle to settle into a consistent rhythm after being urged forward.
Dye suggested that he would allow the horse to settle wherever he naturally wants to race rather than forcing him into a particular position.
That could mean allowing Little Paradise to race third in one contest and much farther back in another.
The approach would place greater emphasis on letting the horse find his own rhythm rather than trying to manufacture a position early in the race.
Invincible Ibis has gained the upper hand
Another factor surrounding Little Paradise is his record against Invincible Ibis.
The two horses have now met five times, with Invincible Ibis holding a 4 1 advantage.
Little Paradise's only victory over the Derby winner came in the Hong Kong Classic Mile. That was also the only occasion when Little Paradise started at longer odds than Invincible Ibis.
Since then, the market has consistently rated Little Paradise more highly when the pair have met, yet Invincible Ibis has continued to finish ahead of him.
Their latest encounter in the Celebration Cup added another chapter to that rivalry.
Invincible Ibis did not need to dominate the race to win the argument. He finished one and a half lengths ahead of the favourite, while Little Paradise returned to the stable without a placing.
The record now gives Shum another piece of information to consider when planning the gelding’s next campaign.
High profile stable moves are nothing new
Little Paradise is the latest in a long list of established Hong Kong horses to change trainers during the most competitive stages of their careers.
Earlier this year, Pierre Ng lost his two highest rated horses within four days.
Sagacious Life moved to Caspar Fownes, while Galaxy Patch transferred to Brett Crawford. Galaxy Patch has since finished second in both of his starts for Crawford, including an encouraging performance in last Sunday’s Celebration Cup.
Hong Kong racing has seen similar changes involving some of its biggest names.
Good Ba Ba provided perhaps the most famous example. In August 2009, owner John Yuen Se Kit moved the highly rated champion from Andreas Schutz to Derek Cruz after consulting a feng shui master. Schutz was holidaying in Europe at the time.
The change produced an extraordinary result.
Good Ba Ba won the Hong Kong Mile for a third consecutive year under Cruz in December 2009. It was an unprecedented achievement and also the final victory of his career.
He later moved to Michael Chang but won only once in his final 17 starts. His final four races came in Australia under Rick Hore Lacey when he was 11 years old, and he finished unplaced in each.
Other champions have benefited from a change
Military Attack also changed trainers after building a significant reputation in Hong Kong.
The former Horse of the Year left John Moore for Caspar Fownes before the 2014 15 season. He immediately produced a winning performance for his new stable in the Sha Tin Trophy.
Mr Stunning followed another notable path. He won the Hong Kong Sprint for John Size in 2017 before returning to win the same race for Frankie Lor in 2018.
That second victory was particularly significant for Lor, who had previously worked as Size’s assistant and secured his first Group 1 success with Mr Stunning.
Pakistan Star changed stables in February 2019. Owner Kerm Din moved the dual Group 1 winner from Tony Cruz to Paul O’Sullivan after a winless start to the season.
Pakistan Star was already one of the most popular horses among Hong Kong racing fans, but his campaign had become increasingly difficult to manage. He had again stopped during a race and had also displayed the same behaviour during a barrier trial.
The move demonstrated how owners can respond when a talented horse develops racing issues that prove difficult to solve within an existing setup.
A new chapter for Little Paradise
Little Paradise now enters a similar period of adjustment.
His record under Ting leaves no doubt about what the gelding can achieve. Seven wins from 14 Hong Kong starts, a Classic Mile victory and a Group 3 success show that he already possesses the ability to compete at the highest level.
The immediate task for Shum will be to understand why the horse's ability has not always translated smoothly into his races.
His start, early speed, tendency to over-race and response to changes in pace will all come under scrutiny as the new stable prepares for the next stage of his campaign.
The Sha Tin Trophy had been the original target, but the stable change gives Shum the opportunity to reassess that programme before committing to a return date.
Little Paradise has already shown that he can win major races. The question for his new trainer is whether a different environment can help him produce that form more consistently. Can Shum unlock another Group race victory from the Classic Mile winner?