New Zealand-bred galloper Juneau Park (NZ) (Ocean Park) made it back-to-back wins when victorious in the Class 4 So Uk Handicap (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
It was the John Size-trained four-year-old’s fifth start in Hong Kong and jockey Joao Moreira was suitably pleased with the effort under a 60kg impost.
“My opinion is high, he’s a nice horse,” Moreira said. “Only good horses do what he has done – I know he had a suitable run but he had to improve to win today carrying top-weight.
“He hasn’t been exposed, he hasn’t raced too many times and he’s only gone forward. This indicates to me that he’s not a bad one.”
The Ocean Park gelding raced fifth along the fence, shifted out at the top of the straight and wound up into a raking run that took him to the lead 250m out. The near 1300lb bay kept on gamely to win by half a length.
“He’s a bit big so he needs momentum and he had that today, it helped him to win,” Moreira said.
“It’s hard to predict where he’ll get to ratings-wise but the improvement he’s shown means he’s pointing up.”
Juneau was purchased out of Henley Park’s 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale for $80,000.
Moreira kicked off the first of a quintet with an easy six-length win aboard the John Moore-trained son of Tavistock, Above, in the Class 4 Tai Hang Tung Handicap (2000m).
The other New Zealand-bred winner on the card was venerable five-year-old Band Of Brothers. The son of Sakhee’s Secret has won five races for ex-pat Kiwi trainer Paul O’Sullivan, who has 22 wins for the season, making it all but certain he will better last season’s effort of 25.
