Zac Purton was the king of the eight-year-olds at Sha Tin yesterday, kicking off a double with Cerise Cherry in the feature sprint before adding Fair Trade in the last race with a past-the-post celebration that might have been more appropriate for a Group One.
The Caspar Fownes-trained Fair Trade has been one of the "if only" stories of racing in the past three years, arriving unbeaten from Australia with a huge reputation, then winning his first two starts here before the rot set in.
"He would have been a serious Group One winner if he'd been sound and it's just such a relief to get him to win again," said Fownes after the gelding's first victory since October 2010.
"I know it's only a Class Two today but it is so rewarding when you get these old horses home. Fair Trade has mostly run in the best races since those early days and he's run good races in the Group Ones but there's always been something not quite right."
That's an understatement - Fair Trade's vet record reads like the war half of War And Peace. Tendon and joint problems, laminitis, sesamoid ligament issues and stress fractures all get a mention, and that was the background to Purton's enthusiastic punch of the sky crossing the line.
"I just know the frustrations and how much heartbreak there's been for Caspar and the horse's owner with Fair Trade, and how much work has gone into getting him here," Purton said, and the win was well anticipated, with only the firmness of the ground undermining the jockey's confidence.
"His best run last season was on the final Sha Tin day, when he was third to All You Wish, and he was still quite fit and in-form after that. He trialled well last week, too. It all pointed to him running well, but both that last run and the trial were on rain-affected tracks, and he had to bring that today to what was quite a firm surface."
Fair Trade looked to be travelling like a winner straightening when Purton seemed to have a lap full of horse, but the jockey said later he didn't really want to press Fair Trade until he had to press.
"He's travelled like that before and not carried it through so I wasn't counting my chickens and I didn't want to ask him too early on the firm ground," Purton said. "When I did press, he gave me the kick I was looking for."
