Trainer Brett Crawford is aiming to build momentum as his first season in Hong Kong approaches its conclusion, following a notable breakthrough victory with All Are Mine in a Class 5 race at Happy Valley. The win marked his 23rd of the season and his sixth at the venue, underscoring a strong debut campaign for the South African conditioner.

All Are Mine secured the win after a prolonged series of unplaced finishes. The gelding arrived in Crawford’s stable rated at 37 in Class 5 but gradually dropped to a mark of 26 through nine unsuccessful attempts before finally breaking through last night. Crawford attributed the success to a strategic change in race distance, having initially campaigned the horse twice over 2,200 meters without success. The decision to reduce the trip to 1,650 meters proved pivotal.

“He’s had a few incidents where he found trouble or the pace was wrong, then I tried him over 2,200 meters, which was too far for him,” Crawford said. “Since we brought him back to the 1,650 meters, he’s been much better.”

Jockey Alexis Badel, aboard All Are Mine, started from barrier two and initially planned to race prominently. However, the race developed with a faster pace than anticipated, causing the horse to be pushed back in the field. Badel then maneuvered All Are Mine away from the fence in the final straight, enabling the gelding to accelerate past tiring opponents and win by a length and a quarter over Oriental Surprise.

“Obviously he had a good barrier and the plan was always to go forward in the early part, but there was a lot more speed in the race than what we anticipated,” Crawford explained. “So we ended up being shuffled back, but it actually played into our hands because in the straight a lot of those horses couldn’t sustain their run, and when Alexis got him off the fence, he quickened really well.”

Crawford indicated he would assess All Are Mine’s points tally before deciding on remaining opportunities for the remainder of the season. “He’s a very tough horse. I just credit the horse – he takes his racing really well, so if we can find a race for him between now and the close of the season, then we’ll look to do so,” Crawford said. The trainer now seeks to maintain the positive momentum as the campaign winds down.