Gun Pit leads the field home in his 1200m trial
Photo: HKJC
Lyndhurst Farm graduate Gun Pit seems to have all but booked a trip to California for the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita next month after an impressive spin under Zac Purton in a 1200m all-weather trial in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Trainer Caspar Fownes pulled the Dubawi six-year-old from a planned run in Korea last month after a lacklustre trial but it was a different Gun Pit this morning. The Gr.1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (2000m) runner-up crossed the line a close second to Wah May Friend in 1m 10.23s.
"He seems to be in better form than he was earlier in the season," Purton said. "He's trialling with a little bit more purpose now and he seems to be moving better, so it looks at this stage like he's going to go to America. He feels fine - there's nothing wrong with the way he's going."
Gun Pit was purchased by bloodstock agent Michael Steadman out of Lyndhurst Farm's 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale of 2YOs draft for $250,000. He trialled twice in New Zealand, finishing second in his first and winning the other, for Lance Noble before being exported to Hong Kong.
Trainer Caspar Fownes pulled the Dubawi six-year-old from a planned run in Korea last month after a lacklustre trial but it was a different Gun Pit this morning. The Gr.1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (2000m) runner-up crossed the line a close second to Wah May Friend in 1m 10.23s.
"He seems to be in better form than he was earlier in the season," Purton said. "He's trialling with a little bit more purpose now and he seems to be moving better, so it looks at this stage like he's going to go to America. He feels fine - there's nothing wrong with the way he's going."
Gun Pit was purchased by bloodstock agent Michael Steadman out of Lyndhurst Farm's 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale of 2YOs draft for $250,000. He trialled twice in New Zealand, finishing second in his first and winning the other, for Lance Noble before being exported to Hong Kong.