Trish Dunell Photography
Gary Hennessy’s patience with the well-related Ocean Emperor gained a Group Two reward on Saturday.
The Matamata horseman has endured his fair share of problems with the well-bred entire, but they became a memory when the son of the legendary Zabeel won the Gartshore Tauranga Stakes (1600m).
In the hands of regular rider Mark Hills, Ocean Emperor produced a career-best performance to account for the talented mare Miss Wilson and the multiple Group One winner Kawi, who got home well from the tail of the field.
On the good track Hennessy has been waiting for, the six-year-old showed exactly what he is capable of and impressively progressed from a previous Rating 85 win at Awapuni to make a successful weight-for-age debut.
He has now won six of his 16 starts with Hills aboard in four of them.
Hennessy part-owned and trained the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) winner Ocean Park, now resident at Waikato Stud, with Andrew Wong and Steve Yan and the same partnership races Ocean Emperor.
“Gary Hennessy has done an unbelievable job with this horse,” Chittick said. “He’s been so patient and he’s always rated him so highly.
“Good on him, off the back of Ocean Park they bought this horse for $450,000 from us. They deserve it, he’s won a really nice race and it’s still early days, the horse hasn’t had much racing.”
Ocean Emperor is out of the Pins mare Tootsie, who won seven races including the Gr.3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m). – NZ Racing Desk.