Sunny Fay keeps his mind on the job to win fresh

John Moore had his obligatory Cup win for the day, an "experiment" to freshen-up hard-to-catch sprinter Sunny Fay leading to an upset win in the Chinese Recreation Club Centenary Challenge Cup.

Moore has had his hands full with Sunny Fay, not knowing where to place the four-year-old, and battling to decipher the horse's "mental issues".

First-up and without a trial, Sunny Fay was one of the few winners to come from off the speed, as he stormed home for Derek Leung Ka-chun after settling midfield.

"That win told me that he is a horse that needs to be fresh," Moore said. "At the end of last season he had soured - so we didn't trial him leading into this and we put him in the deep end not knowing what we'd get, but we've found out that he likes to race fresh.

"He is a horse that has some mental problems, and we'll keep on the same course training-wise, keeping him fresh, because he just seems to give that bit extra when we do."

Moore wasn't getting carried away by the narrow victory, even though the import, who had won just one of 24 previously, beat a strong-looking Class Three field.

"He looks to be a horse that will win his two races this season, but from then on he could struggle," Moore said.

Leung had ridden Sunny Fay five times previously, all unplaced efforts, and had a unique take on the gelding's apparently faulty mental make-up.

"I think he must be a smart horse, because he thinks a lot," Leung joked. "When he wants to run, he is quite talented, but unfortunately, most of the time he doesn't want to run."

Moore's Silver Grecian was fifth as $3.65 favourite in the highest-rated race of the day, the Egret Handicap, but stablemate Dan Excel produced an eye-catching fourth, rattling home late.

"We were happy with Dan Excel, he will now head to the Sasa Ladies' Purse in the middle of October, where he will be better suited by the 1,800m," Moore said.