Marcus makes sure of a Special victory in sprint thriller
Special (7-2 favourite) is more than living up to his name and a superb win for Basil Marcus in the top-class sprint at Sha Tin yesterday suggests bigger things ahead.
Trainer David Hayes had slight doubts before the race about how Special might handle his first real crack at a top-class event but Marcus got the last ounce out of the four-year-old to win a real thriller of a race.
Just two lengths separated seven horses as they flashed over the line at the end of a fiercely contested longer sprint and it was the second leg of a winning double for the champion jockey.
There was drama right on the line when long-time leader Roman Imp (9-2) moved out under pressure and hampered topweight Quick Action (25-1), resulting in an immediate stewards' inquiry.
Quick Action, squeezed out, ended up fourth with Super Team (8-1) taking third in a frenzied finish to the sixth event on the marathon holiday card.
The stewards left the placings unaltered - which was no surprise - but Quick Action is clearly coming back to his best.
Just off the pace-setters were weakening Engineman (9-1) and Regal Ridge (25-1) with bottomweight Feel Legend on their heels, too.
The win kept the great run of Hayes and Marcus going and the trainer is hopeful of bigger things.
He said: 'I said before the race that if he didn't win this or run really well he would basically be a reasonable sprinter in and just out of Class One.
'He is not a big horse but I really do have hopes that he will get up to a mile and that he could then be really a bit special at that trip.' The way Special surged home down the outside strongly supports his trainer's view that longer than 1,200 metres would suit the son of Centaine who has clearly handled the rise in class.
And that is certainly the view of his jockey.
'He is a really great little horse and a real battler. But you only had to see the way he ran and won [yesterday] to appreciate that he would go further. And I think he will be really very good when he gets a crack at 1,400 metres. I think he has a really good future,' said a happy Marcus.
Roman Imp ran a great race for Paddy Payne and held off all-comers until right on the line.
But Special was closing ominously over the last 150 metres and was simply a bit too strong when it mattered.
Trainer Derek Cruz, who has had a quietly effective start to the present season, supplied Marcus with his first winner when dour stayer Super Lord (5-1) prevailed in the fourth event.
It was a last-gasp victory for the five-year-old who lunged to just nail 5-2 favourite High Powered at the end of the 2,000-metre event for Classes Three and Four.
There was just a short head in it and it could scarcely have been tighter - as Marcus noted.
'I wasn't at all confident we were going to get him and I had no doubt he was the horse to beat in the race. I must say that I thought before the race that Super Lord might be more of a Happy Valley horse so this was a little bit of a surprise,' he said.
High Powered may have been left in front a little too early but connections look certain to get a distance event, although it may not be in the immediate future.
'He has had a few runs this time in so I will almost certainly give him a spell,' said Hill.
Express Duke (6-1) scored a comfortable victory in the Classes One and Two longer sprint, easily beating bottomweight Speed Win (30-1) and disappointing favourite Prince Fortune (9-5).
