{"id":2358,"date":"2019-11-08T15:42:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T07:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ctr-campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/?p=2358"},"modified":"2019-11-08T16:24:22","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T08:24:22","slug":"champions-way-hits-the-derby-trail-in-saturdays-panasonic-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/news\/champions-way-hits-the-derby-trail-in-saturdays-panasonic-cup","title":{"rendered":"Champion\u2019s Way hits the Derby trail in Saturday\u2019s Panasonic Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
[vc_row el_class=”section-padding-top”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2016″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” css_animation=”none” el_class=”title”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/div>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2360″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Champion\u2019s Way steps out on the road to the BMW Hong Kong Derby in Saturday\u2019s Class 1 Panasonic Cup Handicap (1400m), aiming to build on an impressive first season in which he set a high bar for his classic-bound peers.\r\n\r\nJohn Size\u2019s charge won six of seven races during that three-year-old campaign, culminating in a Group 3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m) victory that took his rating to a lofty 108 and sealed Champion Griffin honours.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe did a remarkable job as a three-year-old and he got to a very high figure doing that,\u201d Size said.\r\n\r\nRapper Dragon won that same G3 contest in his rookie Hong Kong campaign before winning all three legs of the following season\u2019s Four-Year-Old Classic Series – the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m), Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m). Size will point his rising star down that same route.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe\u2019ll go on the Derby trail and he\u2019ll follow those races unless he proves that he can’t go any further than a mile,\u201d the 11-time champion trainer said.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere\u2019s not much on for him in December so he\u2019ll have at least this one run in November so he\u2019s done some work and hasn’t had too much time away from racing. He\u2019ll go in the first race of the four-year-old series (the Classic Mile) in January.\u201d\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]
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Champion\u2019s Way wins the G3 Lion Rock Trophy.<\/p>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Champion\u2019s Way faces a tough test under Joao Moreira for his first start since June: the Hinchinbrook gelding must shoulder top-weight of 133lb against smart rivals.\r\n\r\nThe Panasonic Cup is a key race for classy gallopers en route to the higher grades. G1 performers like Indigenous (1998), Electronic Unicorn (2001), All Thrills Too (2002), Thumbs Up (2008), California Memory (2010), Beauty Flame (2014), Western Express (2017) and Rattan (2108) have lifted the trophy.\r\n\r\nSize knows Champion\u2019s Way will not have it easy if he is to give the handler a fifth win in the race.\r\n\r\n\u201cTo come back and run up to that mark (108) will be a good effort. He seems ok, he\u2019s had a couple of trials; he\u2019s healthy and well, and sound; and I think he can go to the races and run well,\u201d Size said.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe looked like a pretty smart horse when he started to race but after a few runs he gave the impression that he actually wasn\u2019t a sprinter and that he\u2019d appreciate a bit more distance. That\u2019s what he did and he went on with it.\u201d\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2361″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Champion\u2019s Way\u2019s only defeat came when second to stablemate Red Warrior in a 1600m Class 2 last May. The former conceded 4lb to the latter on that occasion: this time the concession is 7lb.\r\n\r\n\u201cRed Warrior\u2019s got a bit of a feather in his cap there,\u201d Size said. \u201cHe\u2019s still getting ready – he\u2019s not quite fit enough. He looks in good shape but I think he\u2019ll need racing to get him to his best.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe handler has five runners in the 13-strong line-up, with the admirable Time To Celebrate (132lb) making his seasonal return and the race-fit pair of Gunnison (127lb) and Nothingilikemore (132lb) looking to regain the winning thread.\r\n\r\n\u201cTime To Celebrate\u2019s in tremendous form,\u201d Size said. \u201cWhen you see him at the races he looks fantastic but he\u2019s on 107 and that might be all he\u2019s capable of. But his health and wellbeing is quite good.\r\n\r\n\u201cGunnison might struggle with the 1400 (metres) but it shouldn\u2019t be a terribly fast-run race so he\u2019ll get comfortable at some stage. He\u2019s on an awkward mark also.\u201d\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2362″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Two years ago, Nothingilikemore was heading towards the Classic Series off an unbeaten three-year-old campaign and a first-up four-year-old win in Class 2. He went on to capture the 2018 Hong Kong Classic Mile but has not won since and has finished out of the frame against top-class opposition in two runs this term.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe hasn\u2019t done very well but he\u2019s been racing with Group 1 horses, so it\u2019s a little bit difficult to get a guide on it. When he comes back to this class it\u2019s a completely different world so hopefully he\u2019ll perform a bit better in the lower grade,\u201d Size said.\r\n\r\nEncouraging for Moore<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

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Encouraging was a good second last time.<\/p>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Trainer John Moore anticipates a big run from Encouraging after his six-year-old ran second to another of Hong Kong\u2019s exciting rising stars last month.\r\n\r\n\u201cI thought he was underdone going into his last race and he ran second to a very smart, up-and-coming horse in Golden Sixty, and he beat the rest by more than two lengths. If he\u2019s improved further, he\u2019s got to be a live chance in Saturday\u2019s race off a light weight, given a softer run on the lead or outside the leader,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\nThe handler has booked apprentice Alfred Chan, whose 10lb claim will see Encouraging carry 117lb.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe\u2019s very fit, he\u2019s fitter than last time, and I expect him to be right there in the finish. His work at Conghua has been top class according to the reports from my staff there,\u201d Moore added.\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2363″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The stable\u2019s Good Standing (132lb) will also take his chance, back to a more comfortable distance, having finished sixth of eight over 1200m in the G2 Premier Bowl Handicap last time.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re looking for a much better performance,\u201d Moore said. \u201cThe 1400 (metres) should be perfect for him; we\u2019ll keep him to 1400 and a mile rather than going any further.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe was disappointing first-up, I thought he\u2019d run a better race. He seems to have done everything right leading into this race and there are no issues to report.\u201d\r\n\r\nMoore also saddles Taking Aim (113lb), while G3 winner Flying Thunder (127lb) represents the Frankie Lor stable, and the in-form combination of David Hall and Zac Purton has Fast Most Furious (121lb). Dragon General (118lb), Beauty Spirit (113lb) and the consistent Waldorf (113lb) complete the line-up.\r\n\r\nThe 10-race card on Saturday starts at 12.15pm with the Class 4 Panashop Handicap (1200m).\r\n\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2360″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Champion\u2019s Way steps out on the road to the BMW Hong Kong Derby in Saturday\u2019s Class 1 Panasonic Cup Handicap (1400m), aiming to build on an impressive first season in which he set a high bar for his classic-bound peers. John Size\u2019s charge won six of seven races during that… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"2normal","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2358"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2368,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358\/revisions\/2368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/rising-stars\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}