Eclair Sunshine has emerged as Macau’s latest sand star with a slashing win in Saturdays Class 1 & 2 over 1350 metres.

Given a ten out ten ride by Frankie Choi, Éclair Sunshine left his rivals standing at the top of the straight to race away and win easily from Victory Megastar (Luis Corrales), with Kelowna Star (Fausto Henrique) running on for third. The win gave the son of All Too Hard (Aus) two wins straight on the all weather surface; in fact his past five runs on the surface have resulted in three wins and two second placings.

Prepared by Danny Wong, Éclair Sunshine was well out of it at the handicaps on his rating of 83 as opposed to the top-weight Fasuba on his mark of 122, however only got 17 pounds off him with the weight scale. Add to that barrier 10 from the 1350 metre start, the five year old was facing a daunting task.

However Frankie Choi pulled off a lovely bit of riding by slipping across into third place the rails after three hundred metres, before sliding through on the inside of Fasuba whose rider left the fence at the 700 hundred mark. Once in the straight it was game over with the chestnut gelding powering away to win in the smart time of 1.20.3.

Éclair Sunshine originally commenced his career under Phillip Stokes at Morphettville winning a 2YO Handicap there, and chalking up four second placed efforts before placing second in the Listed Exford Plate at Flemington and performing well in races like the C S Hayes and the Red Anchor both Group 3 events.

Since arriving in Macau at the end of last season Éclair Sunshine has had 19 runs for four wins and five placings and collected well over the $1million HKD in stakes.

Japanese import Eclair Hunter picked up his first victory in Macau with a gutsy effort in the Class 2 & 3 over 1800 metres (turf) on Sunday.

Prepared by Geoff Allendorf and ridden by Oscar Chavez, Éclair Hunter despite running around a little over the concluding stages went home too strongly for Superlative Choice (Kakeru Mizuno), with Bring Me Glory (Luis Corrales) in third.

Éclair Hunter is a son of Novellist (Ire) from the USA mare Hunter’s Mark and is one of quiet a few recent arrivals in the enclave from Japan. From his seven runs in Japan the four year old gelding placed second on a soft track over 1800 metres in a 2YO maiden at Tokyo, before winning an 1800 metres maiden on the sand at Nakayama.

For Geoff Allendorf it was the second Japanese import to win out of his stable this month, with his three year old Luen On Success breaking his maiden status on August 3rd over 1200 metres on the turf. Luen On Success is the first progeny of the great Japanese sprinter Lord Kanaloa to race in Macau.

Ares Spear is another Japanese import from the Peter Leyshan stable that has caught the eye in his two runs in Macau. Ares Spear a five year old bay entire is a son of Stay Gold (JPN) the 2001 Dubai Sheema Classic winner and the Hong Kong Vase in that same year.

The newcomer came within a half length of victory on debut when he just went down to Gunstigmaster over 1050 metres on the sand, and then turned in a superb run behind dead heaters To’s Family and Pearl Lucky over 1200 metres in Sundays Class 2.

Ares Spear was a mile back on the testing heavy track but sprouted wings late to power home for fifth only beaten one and half lengths.

No jockey is riding better lately then Frankie Choi with the youngster picking up another victory in a dead heat aboard Pearl Lucky, after the judge couldn’t split the five year with race favorite To’s Family (Ruan Maia) in the Class 2 over 1200 metres on Sunday.

Choi’s winning ride on Pearl Lucky was almost a carbon copy of his win on the five year old son of Red Giant (USA) in the run previous, a Class 2 over 1500 metres. From barrier eight on Sunday Choi again found the rail after two hundred metres to race in sixth spot. Peeling out off the back of the pack at the top of the straight the gelding was spotting To’s Family a good five lengths margin, and had to literally jump out of the ground late to nab To’s Family right on the wire.

In what was a frustrating early part of the season Choi had beaten a well worn path to the Stewards room for careless riding charges. All that now it seems is behind him with Choi riding with a ton of confidence and judgment, and making the most of his new found opportunities.