SILLY BUDDIES

11th June 2017

Sunday at Sha Tin brought one or two promising efforts from new Price Bloodstock horses in Hong Kong but also a victory for an old favourite as Silly Buddies showed that he still has the strength and will to perform even as he nears his eighth birthday.

Master Albert and Ocean Elite made their debuts at Sha Tin and both showed that they are going to win races soon but it was Silly Buddies who was back in the winner’s photo after 18 months.

Early in his career, Silly Buddies won five races for John Size and took his rating to 83 at his peak, but his last win had come in December, 2015, and he needed some time to get back down the ratings before his dirt win in Class 4 for Michael Chang on Sunday.

“When a horse has been with John Size and done as well as this horse, it can take some time before they get down to a rating again where they are competitive when they switch yards. But Silly Buddies had run a good race two starts ago for second that indicated to me he was back in form and ready to win again,” Chang said. “Joao Moreira gave him a great ride today and he won quite well. This will push him back up to Class 3 again so it won’t be easy but now he is in form again, we know that he was able to win before in Class 3 so we’ll see.”

The win was enough to push Silly Buddies past the $5 million mark in stakes over his career.