Top trainer Tony Cruz declared the best of Blazing Speed was still ahead after the gelding upset the big names in the Stewards' Cup, while Italian rider Mirco Demuro had the Jockey Club to thank for a stunning Hong Kong feature breakthrough.
The Hong Kong Mile quinella of Glorious Days and Gold-Fun battled for superiority on the tote board, but they were never a factor in the race, while Blazing Speed outlasted Dan Excel (Neil Callan) to claim his first Group One.
"We haven't seen the best of this horse, and we have big expectations with him," said Cruz. "Blazing Speed's the type who will be a big chance of racing elsewhere - Singapore, Dubai, maybe even England. Always I target the Hong Kong Group Ones first and the Gold Cup will be next, but later we will look overseas."
Cruz said he had gone in confident of winning the Stewards' Cup for the fourth time as a trainer, and insisted that all the members of his ownership syndicate bring themselves and their families to Sha Tin.
"He had excuses on international day, he missed the jump, got too far back and in the end was only beaten by a length and a half," Cruz said. "I was very confident - all he had to do was get a good start and he could win the race."
It was Demuro's first ride for Cruz, perhaps plucked from the roster when the horse's connections chose to switch jockeys because he had a big race résumé and had already performed well for Cruz's brother, Derek, but the Italian was not even supposed to be here.
Demuro had originally been contracted to start in February, but answered a Jockey Club call to come earlier when injuries and suspensions brought the club to the edge of a jockey shortage.
"Everything fell into place, I'm so happy - I just tried to get him to jump, find a good position and he has a tremendous heart," said Demuro, who is now considering more time in Hong Kong. "Why not? I have to see how I go in the next month, but I am getting full books every meeting, a winner each day. If they give you a chance to ride, they give you a chance to win."
John Moore was thrilled with Dan Excel's narrow second and momentarily wondered aloud if the David Boehm-owned horse should have been entered for the Dubai Duty Free, where his only nomination is the Godolphin Mile.
"But I'm not sure David wants to take him to Dubai anyway. He's very honest. We tweaked a few things after his ordinary trial and it worked," said Moore, but he was less excited about Dubai-bound Military Attack's fourth, coming from last after drawing wide. "Zac Purton isn't having any luck on the horse - I just don't think the chemistry is there. My other horse Dominant got home well and he's on target for the Sheema Classic."
And he had more to cheer about than connections of Glorious Days (seventh) and Gold-Fun (sixth) after they turned in sub-par efforts from the rear of the field, or Hong Kong Mile third, Packing Whiz, who beat just one runner.
