Exciting two-year-old Knowledge captured the A$1 million Blue Diamond Stakes (1,200 metres) at Caulfield yesterday for successful owner Tony Huang.
A director of Sino Dynasty - which has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney - Huang races Knowledge in partnership with Melbourne's Crown Casino boss Lloyd Williams and trainer Lee Freedman. Ridden by Danny Brereton, who is well known to Hong Kong racegoers, Knowledge paid A$23.30 for A$1 on Super TAB. Knowledge, who is by Last Tycoon, was purchased for A$180,000 at last year's William Inglis and Son Australian Easter Yearling Sale, in Sydney.
After being a winner at his racing debut he finished fourth at his second appearance and that defeat combined with barrier 15 led to the gelding drifting out of calculations.
But Brereton decided to gamble on dropping Knowledge back to last in the early stages and the move paid dividends. 'I was racing wide early and I just decided to ride him for luck,' Brereton said. 'The result was that instead of being six and eight wide around the home turn I was getting a dream run through the field.
Once I angled him into the clear inside the 200 metres I knew he was going to win.' Storming down the outside under Brereton's strong riding Knowledge gathered-in his rivals close to the post to score by a long neck from his more fancied stablemate Rose Of Danehill, who was ridden by Greg Hall.
The John Hawkes-trained Sport was a gallant third after leading while the favourite Schubert, who is prepared by Peter Hayes, was a respectable fourth. Freedman, whose record in feature races is extraordinary, described notching the quinella - and his first win in the Blue Diamond - as a 'great moment' in his career. 'I knew I had two top chances the way they had been working,' Freedman said.