Race Meeting: 15/02/2009 Sha Tin
RACE 9(395)
Hong Kong Group Two - 1800 Metres
THE MERCEDES-BENZ HONG KONG DERBY TRIAL
Going : Good
Course : Turf - "A" Course
1 UNIQUE JEWELLERY(H196) O Doleuze
2 KINGS FALCON(J185) D Beadman
3 LEGEND OF COLOUR(K003) Z Purton
15 February 2009
The complexion of the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby underwent a significant transformation at Sha Tin on Sunday as Unique Jewellery redeemed his reputation with a narrow victory in the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby Trial (HKGr.2 -1800m).
Olivier Doleuze profited from the defection of champion jockey Douglas Whyte in favour of fellow John Size trainee, More Bountiful, who disappointed by finishing in midfield in the final major prep for the Hong Kong's most important domestic race on 22 March.
Doleuze drove out the Hong Kong International Sale 2006 graduate to a short-head margin from Kings Falcon with Legend Of Colour three-quarters of a length further behind in third.
The French jockey also nearly won the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Classic Mile on More Bountiful last month when Whyte opted to ride Unique Jewellery who then flopped as a short-priced favourite from a wide barrier.
Size later said that the allocation of an inside gate on this occasion played its part in a much improved run by Unique Jewellery, a son of ever-popular New Zealand-based sire O'Reilly.
"The tactics were different today because last time out he was wide and never really comfortable in the run. But from the better draw today we were able to take him back and it helped that there was enough speed on to help him finish off. He should stay the 2000m in the Derby on that sort of performance," Size commented.
Redragtoabull, trained by John Moore, set a solid pace under Weichong Marwing and gave the field the slip off the home turn and was still one length to the good with just 50m to race before the placegetters, including stable companion Kings Falcon, swamped him.
Moore, nevertheless, was more than satisfied with the performances and expects to go to war with three runners in the HK$16m classic in five weeks' time.
One race earlier, Moore watched his highly rated British import Collection, winner of the Hampton Court Stakes over ten furlongs at Royal Ascot last year, turn in a very encouraging run on his local debut in Class 1 race over 1400m - even if the trainer still had to stomach another short-head reversal.
"He just died on his run in the last little bit but you'd have to be satisfied with a first-up run like that over a trip that's a good bit short of his best," Moore said.
"I was also happy with how my two ran in the Derby Trial. The key was to get them settle and the crossed nosebands seemed to do the trick. It will be nice to have three runners in the Derby and with, hopefully, a decent chance of going close in it."
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Unique Jewelry ran very well in this race. As did a few others. But Collection ran them all into the ground when it came time for the 2009 Hong Kong Derby.
GBeret83 1 year ago