HKJC
Joao Moreira made a bold statement early on in the evening at Happy Valley on Wednesday with exciting wins aboard the David Hall-trained Penzance in the Class 5 Po Toi Handicap (2200m) and Size’s Jolly Bountiful in the Class 4 Peng Chau Handicap (1200m).
Neither horse looked likely to win until right on the line: Penzance produced a grinding effort to wear down the Matthew Chadwick-ridden Joy Plus Fun, while Jolly Bountiful only arrived in the last stride to grab Fantastic Fabio, ridden by Umberto Rispoli.
The Class 5 opener produced plenty of twists and turns, as 2200m races at Happy Valley often do. Hall believes that Penzance may become a mainstay of these races, with his pedigree – by Pentire out of a Zabeel mare – suggesting that even that trip may prove short of his best.
“I didn’t think he was going to win at any stage tonight, that’s for sure,” Hall said. “Obviously, when I saw the leader dash clear with the light weight, I thought he would be hard to run down. He battled it out really well though and, mentally, it could be a good thing for his confidence.
“It’s been hard work getting him to win. Mentally, he’s very hot, the Zabeel factor comes out there. He looks like a two-miler as a type and he doesn’t have much of a turn of foot, but in these distance races, there aren’t many here who can handle it so he could hold his own at the bottom of Class 4 over this trip.” -HKJC
HKJC