All American's first winner in Hong Kong
John Moore’s seventh Hong Kong trainer’s premiership looks much more certain after four winners at Sha Tin on Sunday took him to 67 winners for the season. That’s six ahead of John Size, with two meetings to go, on Wednesday and next Sunday 12 July.
Those three winners on Sha Tin’s all weather track included Tianhuang, the first Hong Kong winner by second season sire All American.
The 3YO gelding put up an eye-catching performance to win the Tai Mong Tsai Handicap over 1200 metres at his second start for the Moore stable. Despite a slightly slow start, jockey Doublas Whyte settled him midfield on the fence, then swung to the outside on the turn.
Tianhuang steadily picked up ground and stretched out really well over the final 200 metres to score by 2.5 lengths in 1:08.54 from King of Household, with Geronimo Meadow third and the Size-trained favourite Modern Fortune fourth.
Although Tianhuang was obviously comfortable on the dirt surface, John Moore isn’t prepared to limit him to it just yet, saying, “We won’t pigeon hole him after just a couple of starts.”
Like Moore’s other two winners on the card, People’s Knight & Chevalier Star, Tianhuang is an Inglis sale graduate, bought by George Moore Bloodstock for $290,000 from the Arrowfield draft at the 2013 Inglis Easter Sale. He is All American’s top-priced colt to date.
Tianhuang was bred by the Arrowfield, Planette & Belford partnership from the Viscount mare Miss Victoria, a half-sister to Group 2 winner Domesday, from the family of champion 2YO Xaar – all descended from “blue hen” mare Best In Show, the fourth dam of Redoute’s Choice.
Tianhuang is the second winner for his dam who also has a rising 2YO filly by All American, purchased by Marc Conners at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, and a weanling brother to Tianhuang. Miss Victoria is in foal to Snitzel.
This Hong Kong success and three Australian winners over the weekend seal a very good month for All American, whose nine winners since 6 June also include Sydney winner Eisenhower, Caulfield 2YO winner Green Card and US stakeswinner America Mon Amie.
