Even though Owners' Glory hadn't won for three years, it still seemed a bit over the top for trainer Derek Cruz to be waving around a computer tablet with a race replay for anyone who stood still long enough nearby.
Winless since October 12, 2011, Owners' Glory was part of a Joao Moreira treble taking out the moderate fifth event and a good achievement by the trainer but that wasn't the event he was so proudly showing off.
On Tuesday, his sons Martin and Trevor saddled up the first winner of their training partnership in New Zealand at just their second runner. Trevor had already trained a number of winners in his own right there but Increditable Hulk at Avondale was their first in concert and the proud father was happy to advertise it.
To more immediate events and Cruz senior saddled up a winning double, landing Owners' Glory and You Read My Mind (Derek Leung Ka-chun) within 30 minutes.
"Owners' Glory is an eight-year-old, so he needed a good ride from Joao and got it," he said. "We knew he runs well fresh so that gave him some chance but we can't expect too much at his age."
Moreira said he alone had real confidence in the old gelding and pointed out there had been some merit in the victory: "The tipsters didn't tip him, the betting didn't seem to like him but he felt good in his track work so I was confident. And not many horses have come from the back today like he did."
You Read My Mind has been a paradox since showing enormous talent in his trials before he ever raced, and one of the mysteries of him is that he has won three times at Happy Valley and only once at Sha Tin, where he should be better suited.
"He's a big horse and isn't easy to get around the tight turns here and the key to him is getting him balanced," said Leung. "The main thing today was that he drew well, so he landed in a nice position without having to work to get there and I was able to then concentrate on keeping him balanced and get him to finish the race off."
