Daliapour galloped his rivals into submission in yesterday's $10 million Hong Kong Vase to leave connections with a US$1 million bargain on their hands.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Sadler's Wells colt, purchased as recently as a week yesterday by Hong Kong property tycoon Robert Ng Chee Siong, was never extended to beat fellow Newmarket challenger Ela Athena by 1.75 lengths with Caitano a head back in third and top local stayer Indigenous fourth.
The deal was brokered by Hong Kong Jockey Club chairman Alan Li Fook-sum's son, bloodstock agent Dominic Li and his Newmarket counterpart Andrew Sime. Daliapour will now remain in training in Hong Kong, joining Ivan Allan's powerful stable.
Stoute said: 'We're delighted with the little horse. We were quietly confident before. Everything had gone very smoothly in the build-up, unlike Canada. He really settled in well and was giving us good vibes. We felt he was the best horse in the race. Johnny [Murtagh] had him in a very good position so he met no problems in what was a rough race for some.'
When Li put the deal together over five weeks that seemed an awful lot longer, there were some who scoffed that Daliapour needs cut in the ground and wouldn't go on the fast sandmesh surface at Sha Tin.
But Stoute added: 'It's a fallacy to think he doesn't go on this ground. It was faster than this in Canada and it wasn't the ground that beat him there. At Chester when he won, it was good to firm.'
As for why his previous owner, the Aga Khan, let him go, Stoute explained: 'We'll miss him but we've got to be realistic. The Aga Khan has a lot of horses in training and he can't keep all of them.'
