By Andrew Hawkins
John Moore has achieved plenty in his three-decade stint among the Hong Kong training ranks, but it was one of the trainer’s rarely-utilised skills that came to the fore at Happy Valley tonight (Wednesday, 26 October) with Harbour Master in the feature Class 1 Hong Kong Country Club Challenge Cup Handicap (1650m).
Harbour Master was on the quick back-up, having raced at Sha Tin on Sunday, and the handler admits it is something he has done sporadically during his training career.
“It reminded me of the old amateur days, when you would run one in the morning and back them up in the afternoon!” the leading trainer exclaimed after Harbour Master sprouted wings late to overhaul Tony Millard’s Super Lifeline (118lb) and Moore-trained stablemate Basic Trilogy (125lb).
“It is something that I rarely do. I prefer to give them a decent build-up towards a target race. But this race was worth HK$2.5 million and it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, particularly with the horse coming out of his Sunday run so well.”
Harbour Master finished ninth to Anticipation in the Class 2 Bulgari Excellent Handicap (1800m) with Kei Chiong aboard after pushing towards the lead from the outside gate (14), but with Joao Moreira taking over in the saddle tonight, he found himself midfield on the rail chasing a sedate tempo.
“The other day, they went very hard out in front and while he faded late, it was the equivalent of having a hard track gallop three days out, which all my horses usually have on the training track,” he said. “It wasn’t the plan, but I thought that if he came out of it well it could be a perfect race for him with the easier ground underfoot.
“My wife Fifi and the owners, they were shocked that I’d even thought of backing the horse up, but there was only one suitable race for him at Happy Valley this month. And so I said, if he pulled up OK, I would run him – and I’m certainly glad I did!
“He’s an incredible horse, he’s so sound and he just loves his racing. That’s his seventh win now, he’s been a great horse for the owners.”
Moore is now looking to return the son of Mizzen Mast to Sha Tin and to stakes company for his next start.
“I’ll be looking to the (G3) Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse now with him,” he said. “He ran in the race last year but he had to carry 133 pounds and he won’t have anything near that weight to carry this year. And with a win like that under his belt, he should be very competitive.”
Moore was also happy with the run of Basic Trilogy under Sam Clipperton, who finished third after looking the winner for much of the straight.
“I felt he was still in need of the run going into this race, and that probably showed because he blew out late,” he said. “But he ran a greatly improved race and I think he will be spot on now going forward.”
Clipperton was still celebrating, though, having broken his Happy Valley maiden with a well-judged ride on Ricky Yiu’s Bo Duke (120lb) in the Class 4 Tai Shue Wan Handicap (2200m).
“It was a great thrill to get my first, but the best part about it is that it could have been two or three – I went close on Basic Trilogy and Pearl Warm Warm too – so the signs are all positive,” he said. “I feel that I’m backing my judgement and those split-second decisions make all the difference here.”
It was a night of firsts at Happy Valley across the board.
Silvestre de Sousa scored the first win of his current stint, taking the Class 5 Island Handicap (1650m) on Peter Ho’s Mutual Joy (133lb), while trainer Derek Cruz became the final handler to break his duck for the 2016/17 season after Super Fluke (118lb) narrowly won the last, the Yip Fat Handicap (1650m).
The consistent five-year-old had been racing well without winning, and Cruz was crediting his rider – the ever-present Moreira – for the breakthrough success.
“There was some magic there,” Cruz said. “This win, it was all about the jockey. I’ve had nightmares about this horse, he looks like he will win and then he doesn’t, and I thought if Joao couldn’t do it, maybe no one could.”
One element was a regular, though, with Super Fluke giving Moreira a treble, having earlier scored on Yiu’s Newswire Free to give the trainer a double of his own.
The fourth race of the night, the Class 4 Shum Wan Handicap (1000m), was voided by the Racing Stewards, acting on the basis that the individual gates did not open in unison. All bets on race four were refunded.
Racing returns to the city circuit for a rare day meeting on Sunday, 30 October.
Photo 1: John Moore-trained Harbour Master (No.4), with Joao Moreira on board, takes the Class 1 Hong Kong Country Club Challenge Cup (1650m) at Happy Valley Racecourse tonight.
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Photo 2: Winning connections of Harbour Master celebrate their victory after the race.
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Photo 3: Mr Ferris Bye (second from right), Chairman of the Hong Kong Country Club, accompanied by his wife, presents the Challenge Cup to owner Chow Kay Yui.
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Photo 4: Group photo after the presentation of the Hong Kong Country Club Challenge Cup.
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