With 10 runs under the belt, Macassar is finding his feat
Trainer Me Tsui Yu-sak had an excellent month with eight winners in March to take him to 27 winners and Macassar can keep the ball rolling after producing another progressive outing on Wednesday night at Happy Valley.
Macassar had not come close in eight starts at Sha Tin or Happy Valley from 1,200m to a mile at rank odds, before an improved effort 23 days back when attacking the speed and giving ground in the final stages for a 2?lengths eighth behind Spandau Ballet over 1,650m.
This time, Macassar was ridden to hold a position third from the rear and on the fence, copped a bump from Noble Flier, steadied briefly passing the winning arch for the first time, pushed into the clear three deep passing the 300m before getting struck on the nose by the whip of Alex Lai Hoi-wing near the 50m when coming late between runners.
Macassar had found his way into Hong Kong off a mark of 75 for four outings in France as a two-year-old under the tutelage of Andre Fabre, winning his opening two runs over the straight 1,100m at Maisons-Laffitte and 1,400m at Compiegne before a Listed second of seven at Vichy over the 1,400m on a soft track and Listed fourth of six behind December's Group One Hong Kong Mile fourth Rajsaman over a mile at Lyon Parilly. Off his latest two runs, the four-year-old appears both to be acclimatising and at nice rating of 42 prior to Wednesday's effort.
Macassar is bred to handle a mile and possibly further and boasts a penchant for wet tracks. He is a son of the unheralded Miswaki stallion Tertullian, a winner of 12 of 35 starts in France, Germany and Italy from 1,300m to a mile, including five Group Threes, and is the sire of Group One Hong Kong Cup runner-up Irian.
His dam, Minaccia was a four-time winner up to a mile, including two Listed German races and has produced five winners from five runners, most notably Macleya, a double Group winner in France over a marathon trip.
Brilliant Chariot was another to catch the eye in the same race with a first-time blinkers. He was given every chance in the box-seat from a favourable one alley for Jeff Lloyd, but gave a cheeky sight in the straight to come up a neck second.
The Michael Chang Chun-wai-trained four-year-old is making steady progress and should be ready to live up to his star-studded pedigree and HK$3 million pricetag from the local sales. He is a son of Rock Of Gibraltar, a champion racehorse in 2002 and seven-time Group One winner up to a mile; and the first foal of the Intikhab mare Moon Unit, a champion Irish sprinter.
