Hong Kong diary: Graham Cunningham raises key questions over Aethero

It took less than 55 seconds for Aethero to re-establish himself as Hong Kong racing’s brightest new star at Sha Tin on Saturday.

John Moore’s gelding lowered Sacred Kingdom’s 2007 five-furlong track record with a dominant performance, leaving a smart Class 2 field well strung out under Joao Moreira and sparking several significant new questions.

Was the time as fast as it looked?

On balance, yes it was. Sha Tin’s straight track has produced slick times for months but there was little sign of the tailwind that assisted most of them.

Wednesday's card at Happy Valley

Aethero’s final time was around eight lengths faster than earlier sprint winner Allied Agility. More importantly, he clocked a quicksilver 20.02sec for his middle sectional and was still able to run home in 21.55sec, whereas most of those who helped force the pace paid the price.

https://twitter.com/HKJC_Racing/status/1182954371157385216

Can Aethero progress again over further?

Don’t hold his sole defeat over six furlongs against him. Aethero endured a torrid trip when beaten over six last month, pulling hard after being badly bumped at the start, and Moore is now planning “to do a lot of work among other horses to get him savvy”.

Moreira is adamant that Aethero will progress again once he steps back up in trip. He’s almost certainly right.

How much does he have to find with Hong Kong’s best older sprinters?

Plenty on bare figures, although that tells only half the tale. Aethero has been raised 13lb to a mark of 102 for Saturday’s win.

That still leaves him well adrift of 127-rated Beat The Clock and Mr Stunning, although that pair will have to concede him 15lb and race fitness in the Jockey Club Sprint on November 17.

Who will ride Aethero next time?

Now here’s an interesting one. Aethero will carry just 8st 1lb in the Jockey Club Sprint. That effectively rules Purton out and Moreira has ties that bind him to champion sprinter Beat The Clock.

Silvestre de Sousa: could he be chosen as the next partner for Aethero?Credit: Edward Whitaker

So the door is ajar for a lightweight to form a bond with the budding star. Karis Teetan is in fine form and fits the bill. And a certain Silvestre de Sousa’s latest Hong Kong deal kicks off on, wait for it, November 17.

Is December’s Longines Hong Kong Sprint a reasonable target?

That clearly depends on what happens on November 17. Moreira feels “the sky is the limit,” while Moore repeated his claim that he believes Aethero "has the makings of a superstar”.

But Group 1 sprinting in Hong Kong is a notoriously hard school, and if Aethero does progress enough to land the December showpiece, he will be the first three-year-old ever to do so.

Purton poised to strike back at the Valley

The difficulty of breaking through as a rider in Hong Kong is starkly illustrated by the fact that ten weeks into a new season, a total of ten riders have collected just eight wins between them.

Purton and Moreira have annexed a grand total of 40 of the 96 races run so far and the pair are involved in a string of head to heads on Happy Valley’s Wednesday card.

Zac Purton: partners the fancied Best Smile at Happy ValleyCredit: Aitor Alcalde (Getty Images)

Moreira partners likely favourite Xiang Bai Qi for the first time in the American Club Challenge Cup at 2.15, but Tashidelek was shaping like a winner waiting to happen late last season and the fact that Purton is back aboard after a pipe-opener over an inadequate seven furlongs looks significant.

Purton partners another leading fancy earlier on when the lightly raced Best Smile lines up for the Plover Cove Handicap at 12.45.

Chris So’s gelding looks bound to go well after being run down late by a rival who has gone in again here on his reappearance, but the market will fully reflect his chance and the unexposed Mehboob is worth noting at much longer odds after catching the eye showing good speed over longer trips on his final two starts last season.

Selective Whyte on the mark with Moreira

Moreira continued a sparkling run with a weekend five timer at Sha Tin and former Hong Kong riding legend Douglas Whyte waxed lyrical after the Brazilian helped him to the fifth win of his new career on Relentless Me.

Further evidence of Whyte’s selective approach is provided by the fact that he has no runners at Wednesday’s Valley meeting but the canny South African did give a first public Hong Kong workout to an interesting Irish recruit at Sha Tin’s Tuesday trial session.

Hazapour: will be known as Amazing Plus One in Hong KongCredit: Patrick McCann

Hazapour – currently doing more swimming than galloping as he settles into his new home – will be known as Amazing Plus One when he hits the track for the Danny Shum stable.

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