If at first you don't succeed, try once again and that'south exactly what Blake Shinn did when riding a double at Sha Tin on Sun.

The Australian, who has announced his intention to get out Hong Kong at the end of the season, walked the rain-softened course before racing and was the first jockey in the opening competition to explore a route towards the outside of the track down the straight.

That move on favourite Telecom Missile in the Form Five Somerset Handicap (1,200m) failed to pay off when he finished third behind Universal Crown, merely Shinn was undeterred by that defeat and repeated the tactics to fantastic effect to accept out ii of the next iii races on the card.

The Caspar Fownes-trained The Rock was the first to benefit from Shinn'south enterprising manoeuvres when winning the Course Two Alnwick Handicap (ane,600m), the virtually valuable race at the meeting.

Seizing the initiative, Shinn was keen to catch the lead on the five-year-erstwhile and he eased his style to the heart of the track upon turning for abode and had enough in the tank to win past a cervix, with California X and favourite Running Glory dead-heating for second.

Champion trainer Fownes was delighted with the win and revealed he had given Shinn the dark-green light to be bold.

"It was a good ride by Blake Shinn and well done to him," Fownes said. "He did his homework, he came here before today and he walked the track and felt it might exist a little fleck better on the outside, so he made that decision and I supported that.

"I said 'y'all get for it, I'll respect your decision' and I'm very happy that he got the task done. I'one thousand very happy for Blake, he's riding extremely well and we're going to miss him next season. We hope we can convince him to stay.

"The Rock ran very well final start on the dirt to cease fourth and he's the blazon of horse you tin can back up in a short catamenia of fourth dimension, he'due south shown us that.

"When the rain came this morning I idea that would assist us a little bit. There was not much pace in the race then we controlled the pace and he fought on strongly the last 200m. It was a good, stiff finish."

Shinn to leave HK at the terminate of the flavor: 'the mental stress has get as well much'

Shinn could have been forgiven for aborting those wide runs when the move failed to pay off in the outset race only he was confident that he was making the right phone call subsequently putting in the time before the meeting.

"You study a lot of replays and yous practise your homework," Shinn said. "You look at previous patterns but then y'all come up hither a couple of hours before the coming together and you walk the rail and I made an assessment to come to the outside, thinking information technology was the correct call early on in the twenty-four hours.

Blake Shinn spears Mission Smart (middle) down the outside.

"I got it wrong in the commencement race, but thankfully The Stone rewarded me for that petty bit of actress homework and it was a fantastic effort."

Shinn felt at that place was no demand to change a winning formula just one-half an hour later when he brought up his 31st winner of the season aboard Mission Smart in the Class Five Suffolk Handicap (i,400m).

Settling midfield afterwards breaking from stall xi, Shinn came fifty-fifty wider up the straight this time around, went clear with 300m to go and his mount stayed on well to hold off the fast-finishing Royal Agility.

Mission Smart's win continued Frankie Lor Fu-chuen's practiced grade as he chases his first trainers' title.

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