First Hong Kong Group 1 for departing Doyle

Report: Hong Kong, Sunday

Sha Tin: The Chairman's Sprint Prize (Group 1) 6f, turf 3yo+

BRETT DOYLE bade farewell to Hong Kong with a Group 1 payoff on the redoubtable Joy And Fun in the Chairman's Sprint Prize, the second leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Beaten a head and a neck when second in both the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint in December and the Centenary Sprint Cup last month, British rider Doyle had been wondering what his tough ally had to do in order to gain a first local major.

But the near-misses of the past were forgotten as the veteran sprinter showed most of Hong Kong's best sprinters a clean pair of heels and reversed placings with international sprint winner Lucky Nine by three-quarters of a length with the nine-year-old Sunny King filling third.

The victory gave Doyle his first Group 1 win in Hong Kong on his final ride in the territory before taking up a short-termcontract to ride in Dubai where he will be reunited with Joy And Fun at Meydan on World Cup night in the Al Quoz Sprint, a race the pair won in 2010.  

"It's a great way to go out, I couldn't have made it up! I have been here about eight seasons and had been second in five Group 1s before today and it's great to get one on this fellow because if any horse deserved it, Joy And Fun did. He is the toughest horse I have ever ridden," Doyle reflected.

Eagle Regiment, winner of the first leg of the Speed Series, failed to reproduce his freakish five-furlong form over the extended sprint distance and finished ninth.

And it will not surprise if this was the last race appearance by Sacred Kingdom who trailed in 11th of the 12 runners. Age, it seems, has certainly caught up with the former triple world champion sprinter who is now eight.

Conversely, Joy And Fun is of an identical vintage and has never raced better. Indeed, if the current box-office smash ‘War Horse' warrants a sequel of some sort, Steven Spielberg could do plenty worse than audition Derek Cruz's stable star forthe role.

The New Zealand-bred suffered fractures to his withers in 2007 and fractured his near-foreleg when finishing down the field in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot two years ago.

Understandably, Joy And Fun was never quite right on his return to the track last season, but he regained the winning thread at the start of the current campaign and has since posted career bests despite his advancing years.

"We have tried so many times to win a Group 1 with him and on several occasions he has been close. It all worked out to be a great day. We have always had Dubai in mind for him after this," trainer Cruz said

Cruz did not rule out a return trip to Ascot later in the year either. “There is a possibility. Everything is on the table. He has done so well for us that we will take it step by step. If he hadn’t injured himself [at Ascot in 2010] he would have been a very strong contender that day.”

Also on Sunday

Maxime Guyon brought his riding sojourn to a premature but successful finale when he teamed up for a third win on the progressive Best Eleven (Tony Cruz) in the Class 3 sprint on the dirt surface.

The French rider was hit last week with a ban of nine days for improper riding to add to two days for a careless riding charge and cannot return to the saddle before March 15.

A frustrating second winter in Hong Kong yielded Guyon just five winners with three of those coming aboard Best Eleven.

Finally, one of the betting plunges of the season was successfully executed in the closing event, the Class 2 Amber Handicap over a mile when Berio (David Hall/Ben So), backed from 12-1 into 5-2 favourite clung on for a short-head margin from hat-trick chasing Finezza.