Military Attack repeats in HK Gold Cup, sets sights on
Dubai
“It was great to watch and he’s back to where he was last season,” said
Moore’s charge had been shunted to the shadows in four defeats this term, as
“As I said going into the race, if he didn’t get stuck in the box seat he’d
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At the outset, the winner’s stablemate Dan Excel jumped to the lead under
Neil Callan, and the new partnership of Joao Moreira and Military Attack was
content to stalk on the rail. Blazing Speed sat upsides the leader under Mirco
Demuro, while Douglas Whyte positioned the imposing presence of Akeed Mofeed on
Military Attack’s outside flank.
But as the pace quickened out of the back stretch, there was a hint that
Whyte was not entirely comfortable on Akeed Mofeed. Sure enough, as Dan Excel
led the field of seven into the final turn, Moreira tested the race favorite and
found his rival wanting — the Brazilian nudged the smooth-travelling Military
Attack out from the inside berth and was soon ahead of the ill at ease Akeed
Mofeed
“You could see Akeed Mofeed laboring coming to the corner and my horse was
just able to push his way out, and then we saw the Military Attack
acceleration,” Moore said.
Blazing Speed pressed Dan Excel for supremacy at the top of the homestretch,
but just as that duo began a determined tussle to the wire, the race was all but
over. Military Attack loomed upsides and unleashed a brilliant turn of foot to
sweep clear with 200 meters to race. And in a scenario that echoed his
scintillating win in the Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji last
season, Moreira’s mount surged three lengths clear of runner-up Dan Excel to
register a quick time of 2:01 1/5 for 2,000 meters.
“Good horses always make jockeys’ lives easier,” said Moreira of last
season’s QEII Cup winner. “When we turned for home I was able to obtain a clear
run on the outside of the leaders and just kick away from them.”
Moore and owner Steven Lo now have their sights set firmly on Dubai, although
the trainer hopes that this win may have convinced officials there to reassess
the focus of their invitation.
“I entered him for both the Dubai Duty Free (at 1800 meters on turf) and the
Dubai World Cup (over 2,000 meters on Tapeta). I wanted to get him into the
World Cup, but I have to accept that his form wasn’t on the board and they put
him back to the Duty Free. But maybe I’ll get a telephone call and they’ll say,
‘would you like to run in the World Cup?’ and the answer will be that I’d love
to run in the World Cup!”
Moore, for the second Sunday running, registered a one-two-three in a local
Group 1 as Hong Kong Vase hero Dominant ran home strongly to finish a short-head
third, a neck ahead of the Tony Cruz-trained Blazing Speed. Akeed Mofeed was
fifth.
“Tommy (Berry) got off and he was very pleased with Dominant,” Moore said of
his Dubai Sheema Classic entrant. “Dominant was doing his best work at the
finish and he keeps grinding. Tommy said whatever he did today the horse will
improve on in Dubai.”
The Hong Kong Triple Crown, which commenced with the Stewards’ Cup in
January, concludes on May 25 with the 2,400-meter Champions & Chater Cup. There
is a HK$2 million bonus to any horse who can win any two legs of the series.
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