Trainer David Hall might be headed down the 'Absolute Champion path' to the Longines Hong Kong Sprint with Bundle Of Joy after the five-year-old graduated with honours to black-type company in a sensational National Day Cup.
Hall claimed the Hong Kong Sprint and the world's best sprinter title with Absolute Champion coming through the Premier Bowl on the way as an unheralded lightweight and is now planning to do the same with Bundle Of Joy.
"It's a bit different because Bundle Of Joy came to me as an unraced horse originally and Absolute Champion already had form, so it's very satisfying to have got this guy up to this level from scratch," Hall said.
"But the Bowl is the obvious programme if we want to see if Bundle Of Joy can earn his way into the very best races and one thing I can say is that I'm not in the slightest bit worried about going to 1,200m with him.
"His second start here he was outstanding from a wide gate over 1,200m and the only reason he's done so much racing at 1,000m is that it just suited him programme-wise and where he was at."
Bundle Of Joy led home a lightweight finish, with Peniaphobia and Super Jockey filling the placings and Al Quoz Sprint winner Amber Sky (Joao Moreira) having to make do with fourth as a warm favourite.
Disappointed trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai said Amber Sky "might have needed the race after six months without a run", a conclusion echoed by Moreira, who had been the winner's regular rider.
"Even with the big weight, I thought if Amber Sky was beaten because of the handicaps, he would be the one putting the pressure on and making those up-and-coming horses really work to beat him," Moreira said. "But it was the other way around."
Fitness and the weights proved the difference as jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu snatched his first Group win.
"I have to thank Mr Hall - when I knew Douglas Whyte couldn't make the weight, I texted to see if I could ride his horse Rad, as I was the only other jockey who had been on him at the trials," Ho said.
"Instead, Mr Hall said I could ride Bundle Of Joy if I liked because he needed a light rider for him, too. In the race, I was so confident at the 400m because I was going easily and I looked over at Amber Sky and Rad and they were both being asked for an effort.
"When he hit the front, Bundle Of Joy even idled and thought it was over so I had to give him a slap to keep him focused."
Rad, a strong second choice in betting, was the first horse beaten and finished last, cleaning up topweight Sterling City as he weakened straight back in his face and leaving trainer John Moore to ponder on what might have happened otherwise.
"Douglas Whyte told me Sterling City would certainly have run second without getting knocked over like that and, under the top weight, that's a great first-up performance.
"I was happy enough with Charles The Great too and they are both on target for December," Moore said.
"Both will run again on October 26 in the Premier Bowl and Frederick Engels will come into the mix then, too."
And Moore said he was hoping to have a fourth Hong Kong Sprint representative in the horse he owns, Not Listenin'tome, who will resume his Australian career on Saturday week in Melbourne.
"He runs in the Schillaci Stakes, then the Darley Classic during Melbourne Cup week and I'm hoping that the club will allow him to come here for December and then stay as one more top-class sprinter for Hong Kong," Moore said.
"He'll be entered for the international race anyway."
