Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby-bound Real Specialist topped a treble for the John Size-Douglas Whyte Dream Team, but a miserable tempo and dropping back in distance did him no favours in justifying his selection for next Sunday's Group One feature.
Nevertheless, Real Specialist did win the 1,600m Class Two contest yesterday as advertised and a ratings lift will certainly back up the decision by club officials to include him in the Derby field off a low mark, even if opinions might have been divided on the merits of the head-margin victory.
Whyte was an unabashed fan of the win, and he and Size agreed that 2,000m would be more to the gelding's liking as he backs up for the third weekend in a row next Sunday, with Felix Coetzee coming to take the ride.
'I couldn't be critical of anything about the win,' said Size. 'He probably looked unimpressive coming back to a very slowly run 1,600m, but he has always given the impression he wants more ground not less, and I hope that's the case. As far as backing up again is concerned, I'm very comfortable with the position I'm in and it will do him good. He's an inexperienced horse who gained more experience today and didn't have a hard run doing it, but again he fought out a tight finish and again he won.'
The gelding's record of six starts for four wins and two seconds, still reads impressively and Whyte was also sufficiently impressed.
'From his first runs, Real Specialist has been one to look around a bit, so for him to be in front for as long as he was today, with other horses coming at him and they are running such quick sectionals, he has done a better job than it looks to win and he's only going to get better,' he said.