FORMER multiple champion trainer John Moore yesterday moved stealthily to the top of the standings with a Sha Tin double. Moore, the top dog five times since first taking out a licence back in 1985, scored a first and last-race double via two high quality imports, Victory Mount and Fastest Star. He has arrived, almost unheralded, alongside Ivan Allan on 32 winners for the campaign and this pair are two clear of the leading Australian handler David Hayes who is, in turn, three ahead of local legend Tony Cruz. Lawrie Fownes is still in the hunt on 26 winners as is Patrick Biancone on 24 and Hayes commented: 'This is so tight I'd hate to have to try to pick the winner. 'I've led - for about two hours - now John's up there with Ivan. I've still got some younger horses to run and Patrick has been in really good form.' But Moore would not be drawn directly on his championship chances. 'At the start of the season I set myself a goal of 45 winners, given the stable I had and I'd be ecstatic if we reached that number. 'But it's just too hard to even start thinking about another championship. Personally I reckon it's going to take about 50 winners to land the title.' Victory Mount put in a classy performance to beat Biancone's Tequila Pop by 11/4 lengths in the opening griffin contest with the Alex Wong Yu-on-trained favourite, Win-Etic, battling into third, a head back. Victory Mount is a three-year-old colt by the American stallion Cure The Blues. He stayed yesterday's 1,400-metre trip very well under Irish ace Mick Kinane and Moore believes he will have no trouble staying further. 'He should be out in another three weeks or so and is a very nice horse in the making. 'I think he'll win his two griffin races and then we'll have to see how he copes with things. He's almost certainly going to be put into Class Two. 'He should get a mile and next season I think he'll get the 1,800-metre Derby distance no problem at all.' Kinane was claimed to ride Chagall for retaining trainer David Oughton in the last but it was his advice which helped Moore secure victory with Fastest Star. The Irish import was given a copybook ride by the impressive Australian Club Jockey Patrick Payne to prevail by a head and the same from Straight Way and Amza Glory. Moore added: 'Mick told me that the last time he rode this horse he was caught out wide and saw too much daylight. 'He was convinced that he needed to be covered up and ridden further back in the field. 'So that's what we did today and I must say that I thought Patrick gave him an absolute gem of a ride. 'Coming back in distance maybe also helped Fastest Star and I'd like to think we've got a useful Class One performer on our hands from 1,400 metres to a mile.' Peter Ng Bik-kuen's season continues to take a turn for the better and his Gallant Middy spreadeagled them in the second. Gallant Middy enjoyed a 'soft' lead on a day where there was a bias to those racing up on the speed as is often the case when the New Bend, and thus the short straight, is in operation.
