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Sun shines for Moore and Size in Hong Kong Classic Mile

24/01/2016

Sun Jewellery won this afternoon's (Sunday 24 January) HKG1 Hong Kong Classic Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse and so handed trainer John Size and jockey Ryan Moore each a breakthrough victory in the contest, the first leg in Hong Kong's three-race four-year-old series.

When Sun Jewellery entered gate 14 for this afternoon's HK$10 million contest, the talented chestnut had won four of his five Hong Kong starts, had arguably the world's standout rider perched on his back, and boasted the highest rating (110) of any four-year-old in town. Yet the Snitzel gelding's odds of 9.2 – on what was Hong Kong's coldest day since 1957 – suggested he was about as popular with race fans as the bitterly cold wind sweeping up the Shing Mun River.

Sun Jewellery's extreme draw had much to do with that. Stablemate Thewizardofoz (rated 105), berthed in gate nine under local hero Joao Moreira, was the public darling at 2.4. Neither Size nor Moore had deemed the wide barrier a bar to success.  
 
"It didn't look ideal, but when I was told I had the ride I looked at him and I thought he did look like he was the best horse in the race, and if I had to cover a bit more ground so be it," Moore said post-race.

Size added: "In set-weight races, for a horse that runs up on the speed, the wide gate is not always a bad thing because you can't get into trouble there and he's got enough pace to go forward. In saying that, the first two furlongs of the race today, he looked like he was working pretty hard and I certainly wished he'd had a different gate after he'd gone 300 metres!"

Sun Jewellery broke smartly from the outside draw but Moore had to work three wide without cover until the 800m mark. Able to slot into a spot two and a half lengths off the pace-setting pair of Dashing Fellow and King Genki, Moore stalked Lucky Bubbles off the final turn, and, when Brett Prebble slingshot that rival to the lead with a shade under 400m to race, Moore had the move covered.

The three-time UK champion asked for an effort approaching the 300m point. Sun Jewellery responded with his trademark acceleration, sweeping past the leader and then knuckling down through the final furlong to hold the valiant late thrust of the Hugh Bowman-ridden Werther. The winning margin was a neck, with a further length and a half back to third-placed Blizzard under Gerald Mosse. Lucky Bubbles faded to fourth and Thewizardofoz, who failed to settle in the early stages, plugged on for fifth.  

"I think he's a very good horse and I was lucky to be riding him today," said Moore after Sun Jewellery had stopped the clock at 1m 35.05s. "He has a very good racing mind. He went through the race really comfortably – it's obviously going to be another question mark, stepping up in trip, but he's a horse that hasn't done a lot wrong in his life. Who's to say where he could end up?"

The Australian import, successful in the latter two of four starts prior to his switch to Hong Kong, is engaged in the HKG1 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 20 March.

"I'm not sure what the future holds for him but, previously, horses that have run in this race with a very high rating and have won have turned out to be Group horses," said Size. "I would think he's got a big future. He's always promised to step up but this is a good test today, he's come up against some nice horses and he's beaten them fair and square."

The John Moore-trained runner-up, Werther, suffered a bump turning for home and was then crowded for room. Once switched around Sun Jewellery's rear with 200m to race, the Tavistock gelding responded gamely. Werther clocked 23.16s for the final 400m against Sun Jewellery's 23.20s. But the fastest final split belonged to Blizzard – shuffled back from what had seemed an ideal berth in gate three, Ricky Yiu's rising star closed to the wire in 23.12s.

The second major test for Hong Kong's four-year-olds en route to the HKG1 BMW Hong Kong Derby is the HKG1 Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) on Sunday 21 February.

Photo 1, 2, 3: The Ryan Moore-ridden Sun Jewellery (No.1), trained by John Size, wins the Hong Kong Classic Mile (HKG1 1600m), first leg of the season��s Four-Year-Old Series, at Sha Tin Racecourse today.
Photo 1:
Photo 1, 2, 3: The Ryan Moore-ridden Sun Jewellery (No.1), trained by John Size, wins the Hong Kong Classic Mile (HKG1 1600m), first leg of the season��s Four-Year-Old Series, at Sha Tin Racecourse today.


Photo 2


Photo 3

The winning connections celebrate Sun Jewellery��s success after the race.
Photo 4:
The winning connections celebrate Sun Jewellery��s success after the race.

Photo 5, 6, 7: Mr. Philip Chen, a HKJC Steward, presents the Hong Kong Classic Mile winning trophy and gold-plated dish to Sun Jewellery��s owners Tung Moon Fai , trainer John Size and jockey Ryan Moore.
Photo 5:
Photo 5, 6, 7: Mr. Philip Chen, a HKJC Steward, presents the Hong Kong Classic Mile winning trophy and gold-plated dish to Sun Jewellery��s owners Tung Moon Fai , trainer John Size and jockey Ryan Moore.


Photo 6


Photo 7

Connections of Sun Jewellery smile for the cameras during the Hong Kong Classic Mile trophy presentation ceremony.
Photo 8:
Connections of Sun Jewellery smile for the cameras during the Hong Kong Classic Mile trophy presentation ceremony.

Connections share their happiness with media following the success of Sun Jewellery in the Hong Kong Classic Mile.
Photo 9:
Connections share their happiness with media following the success of Sun Jewellery in the Hong Kong Classic Mile.

 

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