Richard Gibson out to celebrate Wellington’s lucky escape with Chairman's Prize

Richard Gibson has seen most things that can happen on a racetrack in his 26 years as a trainer but the trauma generated by a four-horse pile-up in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin in December left him completely numb.

His outstanding sprinter Wellington escaped physical injury in the accident and crossed the line seventh of eight finishers but two horses had to be put down and the aftershock experienced by all concerned lasted several weeks.

“It was a bloodbath,” Gibson recalls. “Although my horse wasn’t injured, I crawled out of the track that afternoon. I nearly didn’t stay for the rest of the raceday. It was such a grotesque, unfair accident.

“We are very lucky we’ve still got a racehorse. It was really a strike of lightning. Some horses went down and some didn’t. We were one of the lucky guys. I think I’ve mentioned this race [Hong Kong Sprint] each time our horse has won since.

“I felt the pain of the connections of the other horses, those who suffered injury. These Group 1 horses are so tough to find and there, in a lightning strike, it’s in front of you. Anything can happen in this game and we are just very grateful to have such a good horse in good nick after all that,” he says.

Wellington, a five-year-old winner of nine of his 15 starts, is Hong Kong’s premier sprinter, officially equal to Sky Field on international ratings – they are both on 116 – and very much the pick of local pundits and tipsters in tomorrow’s Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize over 6f.

Wellington is the outstanding sprinter currently racing in Hong Kong and is out to capture the Chairman's Sprint Prize for the second successive yearCredit: Hkjc

Falls in Hong Kong are infrequent but when they occur, particularly on ground that is fast more times than it is not, the consequences can be tragic. The Hong Kong Sprint fall was a direct result of the leader Amazing Star breaking down badly and falling in front of the entire field 550 metres out, just on the point of the turn.

Group 1 sprinters are travelling faster at that point than any in lower grades or those over longer distances, so the impact visually leaves its mark on the observer. In a weird way, the curtailing of crowds because of Covid saved many from being witnesses to an ugly spectacle.

Gibson sounded shaken by the experience but relieved that Wellington had been so lucky. “Four horses down, two destroyed, and he got through the accident okay. Ironically, after that, we’ve had an uninterrupted preparation. He’s actually thrived. It just shows the ups and downs of the game. It’s tough when this sort of thing happens, it’s very tough,” he adds.

Wellington’s story is fairly typical of the type of horse sourced from Australia in the modern era. A son of the Caulfield Guineas winner All Too Hard, who is a half-brother to unbeaten champion Black Caviar, Wellington missed the traditional round of inspections for yearling sales and ended up being prepared for a ready-to-run sale. It was decided that a barrier trial should be used to sharpen him for the short sprints required at a breeze-up.

Wellington showed himself to be a natural. He took to it immediately and impressed in the trial so much that agents were jumping out of the woodwork to snap him up. Gibson and his owners put in the successful bid and the rest is history.

The gelding came to Hong Kong as a ‘private purchase griffin’, which means he was imported privately by his owner, and arrived unraced. He quickly leapfrogged his way through the ranks, winning seven of his first ten starts, progressing from Class 4 handicaps to the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize, which he now attempts to win for a second time.

Alexis Badel has every reason to celebrate on Hong Kong's outstanding sprinter WellingtonCredit: Hkjc

But despite his great natural ability, Wellington took time to settle in and come to hand. “It was a matter of being patient,” Gibson recalls. “To start with, the horse wasn’t right, and it was a matter of not running him and getting him right.

“As my great friend and mentor Pascal Bary would say, the most difficult thing in this game is not to run. We were lucky the owners were patient and avoided all the prep races at the beginning of his year, and it paid off well,” he explains.

British-born Gibson, 52, is in his 11th season training in Hong Kong. After quickly finding Group 1 success with Lady Of Chad, Europe’s champion juvenile filly in 1999, he put together an impressive portfolio of international triumphs, notably with Doctor Dino, who went on to win back-to-back runnings of the Hong Kong Vase, which ultimately led to a trainer’s licence in Hong Kong several years later.

Life for many professionals – trainers, jockeys and officials – in Hong Kong has been stressful under the strict Covid protocols in place in order for the Jockey Club to convince government to allow racing to continue. Barbed wire and security guards are a constant reminder of an environment in stark contrast to the vibrant atmosphere and lifestyle for which the city has been famous.

But getting a good horse such as Wellington is what keeps professionals going. “In the course of your training career every Group 1 preparation is a feature. It’s the best thing about the job, really. It’s a really motivating time. You’ve been thinking and planning for these races for six months or more,” Gibson points out.

“It’s a big mental journey. We did it well last year and it’s great that we’ve got the horse in great nick and ready to try to emulate his success of last season. The best thing about this job is the Group 1s. You are working with elite athletes. I get immense satisfaction out of nailing it, getting it right on the day. I think if you look at my Group 1s in Hong Kong they are something to be very proud of.”

Gibson’s triumphs with Akeed Mofeed in the Hong Kong Derby and Gold Cup spring to mind, his adventurous campaigning of Gold-Fun, who almost landed Royal Ascot’s Diamond Jubilee in 2016, and now Wellington are testimony to that.

The trainer does not mention any particular rival as his danger tomorrow. “Wellington has been the strongest sprinter here for some time. He’s beaten them all comfortably on his last two starts. My biggest fears are the tempo and the track conditions, more than anything else. Wellington is the one they have to beat.”

There is confidence and conviction in the trainer’s statement. Most would agree.

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