NZB grad wins Hong Kong Sprint
New Zealand Bloodstock Sales graduate Beat The Clock recorded his third win at elite level when taking out the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. The son of Hinchinbrook was purchased out of Prima Park’s 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale of 2YOs draft for $200,000 and with the win he has taken his stake earnings past the HK$46 million (NZ$9 million) mark.
Trainer John Size and jockey Joao Moreira spoke of vindication and feeling humbled in an unusually emotion-charged response to their win with Hong Kong’s most consistent sprinter. Moreira declared he would cherish the win “all my life” while Size wiped away a tear or two after the ever-reliable Beat The Clock beat stablemate Hot King Prawn with sprinting’s would-be-king Aethero the same margin back in third.
“There’s no way I could be any happier,” said Moreira who’d earlier won the afternoon’s first Group 1 on Glory Vase in the Hong Kong Vase (2400m). “What a pleasure to be on top of two very nice horses, particularly this guy. He is such a good horse, so consistent, he tries his best always and being his rider is just unforgettable.”
He was even more effusive at the later post-race press conference about the gelding who has now won nine races and not missed the first three in 23 starts. “When the gates opened, he wasn’t fast enough. He didn’t settle where we wanted him to be which was a pair closer but once we were turning for home I could feel I had plenty in my hands and I realised he was coming to win the race with one furlong (200m) to go,” Moreira said.
“This will be in the back of my mind all my life. I’ve been associated with this horse for quite some time. “Some people were doubting how good he was and rating him second to other horses in the race. “He went there to prove today he’s the best sprinter in Hong Kong. And the best part of it is I don’t think that’s it, I think there’s more to come from him.”
Size made repeated reference to the horse’s character when asked about his remarkable consistency. “It’s just his character I guess, his will to win and fighting spirit, all the good things that good horses have, he has all those attributes,” he said. “He helps himself a lot with his training as he saves his energy for raceday. “I think he’ll sleep for a week now. He used every ounce of energy in his body in today’s effort and it’s humbling to see a horse do that actually.”