Wrap-up

Silent Witness enters history books after Centenary Sprint Cup romp

An electric atmosphere enveloped Sha Tin on Saturday, 13 march 2004, as the flawless Silent Witness cruised to Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup success to equal a Hong Kong record stretching back over 20 years.

It was the undefeated gelding's 10th straight victory to equal the winning streak set by Co-Tack in November 1983.

Silent Witness, trained by Tony Cruz, will seek to set a new standard in the third and final leg of the Champion Sprint Series, the Gr.1 Chairman's Sprint Prize, on April 25.

The champion, who looked impeccable beforehand in the parade ring, broke well and was in front for every stride of the 1000m event worth HK$4.5 million.

Two furlongs from home, the chasing trio of Firebolt, Multidandy and Cape Of Good Hope tried to move upsides the overwhelmingly odds-on Silent Witness, but jockey Felix Coetzee only needed to flick the reins at the Australian-bred El Moxie four-year-old to settle the outcome.

Taking his bankroll HK$21.4 million (US$2.74 million), Silent Witness scored eased down by two and a half lengths from Cape Of Good Hope, with half a length to Firebolt.

"We can't beat him, he's a machine," said David Oughton, trainer of the runner-up.

It is anyone's guess as to how many more millions are at the mercy of this freakish performer.

"Every horse has his breaking point but we want just to keep winning with this horse. As long as we keep him to these set weights races, he is going to remain very hard to beat," said trainer Cruz.

Savouring the moment, an emotional winning owner Archie da Silva said connections would assess future plans after next month's race.

"We have had offers to race at Royal Ascot in June and in the Sprinters' Stakes in Japan in October but we will sit down in May and decide what to do," he said. "But you can see how much the fans here love this horse. I'd like to keep him here for the Hong Kong public but, yes, it is possible we will race him overseas."

About Centenary Sprint Cup

The Centenary Cup (Gr.1-1000m) was first contested on 24 November 1984 to celebrate the centenary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The Cup is a 20-inch high silver-gilt cup and is on permanent display in the Racing Museum at the Happy Valley Stand. This race has been elevated to Group 1 status in 2001.

This year, the Centenary Sprint Cup will be held in Sha Tin Racecourse, on Sunday, 13 March 2004.