Ryan Moore won the first two Group 1 races on 2020 Hong Kong International Raceday, steering Japanese sprinter Danon Smash to victory in the HK$22m (A$3.8m) G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) as nothing went right for Australian sprinter Classique Legend.
Moore, who less than an hour earlier won the Longines Hong Kong Vase aboard Mogul, produced a superb ride from the outside barrier to assist the Takayuki Yasuda-trained Danon Smash ($22) in victory, miraculously slotting in midfield with cover at halfway.
Danon Smash, with the benefit of a brief breather, then peeled out at the top of the straight and struck the front with 150 metres remaining, holding a half-length advantage at the finish.
Jolly Banner ($84) finished second ahead of Rattan ($23), Wishful Thinker ($42) and Fat Turtle ($144) – the first five placegetters separated by just 1.25 lengths with all of them settling in the second half of the 14-horse field. Hot King Prawn ($2.10 favourite) finished seventh, 1.5 lengths behind Danon Smash.
“I must admit, I thought the barrier would make it difficult but we got lucky, we got a lovely run around,” Moore said.
“He travelled sweetly, he was very brave and fought all the way. He’s just a pleasure to ride and I’m very thankful to pick up the ride on him.”
Classique Legend ($3.80) was out of business in the Hong Kong Sprint as soon as the barriers opened. Les Bridge’s Everest winner jumped fairly from the inside gate, was slow to muster pace and last after 25 metres.
Classique Legend’s rider Vincent Ho was always in an unenviable position thereafter, pushing the five-year-old gelding through along the fence to pick up two spots before the turn out of the back straight.
Ho was eager to leave the fence and find room for Classique Legend to unleash his signature booming finish but was strung up behind a wall of horses and crucially never able to build momentum through the middle stages.
Ho made one last desperate attempt to resurrect a dire situation, diving for an opening between Danon Smash and Rattan upon straightening but there was never any room, Classique Legend checked off heels and immediately out of play, eased down to finish twelfth on debut for Hong Kong trainer Caspar Fownes.
Danon Smash’s success in the Hong Kong Sprint is valuable and long overdue, the five-year-old Lord Kanaloa entire notching his first Group 1 win having come close several times in Japan and finishing a gallant eighth in last year’s Hong Kong Sprint off a wide run under Frankie Dettori.
Danon Smash won three of six starts this year, all at Group level, and was runner-up behind Gran Alegria in the G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama on October 4, his final lead-up start.
– racing.com
