South African Brett Crawford will have his first runner as a Hong Kong trainer on Sunday and at least one of his rivals thinks he can make a winning start.
Speedy Smartie steps out for Crawford in the first race at Sha Tin on Sunday and David Eustace, who knows all too well the challenge of starting off in Hong Kong, hopes he can get off the mark quickly.
“Brett's settled in great, lovely fella and he trained a lot of winners in South Africa,” Eustace told the Straight Talk Podcast.
“He's got a great chance on Sunday. I hope the horse wins. And we know, we all know how competitive it is, but by the same token, there's plenty of pie to share around.”
“He's got a nice small team to begin with, and I've no doubt that will grow.”
Speedy Smartie was previously trained by Benno Yung, who retired at the end of last season.
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Eustace, meanwhile, confirmed he had been in touch with James Cummings ahead of the former Godolphin trainer joining the Hong Kong training ranks next season.
“I messaged him and said, 'if you need anything, let me know' and I'm sure we'll catch up plenty leading into the season,” he said.
“I'm sure James will be a great success. He's young and I commend the club that they're really looking to target young, sort of upwardly mobile trainers.”
