Star three-year-old Aethero breaks Sacred Kingdom's track record at Sha Tin
Just an hour after Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in less than two hours, another record was broken at Sha Tin when the John Moore-trained Aethero clocked 54.69 secs in the 5f Wo Tik Handicap to beat Sacred Kingdom's 1,000 metre track-best time of 54.70s set in 2007.
The race was billed as a clash between Voyage Warrior, who was sent off the 7-10 favourite, and 67-20 chance Aethero.
Reigning Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton chose to partner Voyage Warrior and it was the Ricky Yiu-trained four-year-old who broke quickly to lead, with Aethero sitting in fourth place under Joao Moreira.
The writing was soon on the wall for Voyage Warrior, however, and Aethero stormed into the lead 250 metres from home to score by an easy two and a half lengths from Big Time Baby, with Voyage Warrior fading into sixth.
"He's a star," said Moreira, who was visibly impressed by the performance.
Sacred Kingdom, who was named the world's top sprinter for three years in a row from 2007-09, set his 5f track record at Sha Tin in March 2007.
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Published on 12 October 2019inInternational
Last updated 11:34, 12 October 2019
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