Popular trainer Derek Cruz stepped out of the mighty shadow cast by brother Tony and his champion sprinter Silent Witness yesterday at Sha Tin, lifting the second feature event for the family on South China Morning Post Cup day.
Silent Witness was the standout horse of the day in the Centenary Sprint Cup, but half an hour later the second running of the South China Morning Post Cup held all the betting interest.
And, just like the first running of the cup at Happy Valley last season, the outstanding field lived up to all expectations, with Derek Cruz's My Choice able to break Tony Cruz's iron grip on feature events.
The 1,400m contest saw horses spread across the Sha Tin straight at the finish and little more than a length covering the first six home.
Reigning champion trainer John Size briefly looked like he would make amends for his nose second in last season's cup when top weight Gem of India skipped away up the rail with a break, but the lightly handicapped runners emerged in a wave.
As it became tight and tough, they were playing My Choice at the game he loves most - a desperate scrap.
