They say that money talks, and Australian private purchase Sir Ernesto will put that idiom to the test in today's feature event at Sha Tin.
On last night's early tote call, Derek Cruz's Sir Ernesto was the biggest street corner tip, dominating the market at $21 for the ninth race despite the fact he's yet to win in four Hong Kong starts.
The Association Of Hong Kong Racing Journalists Challenge Cup looked a competitive affair, with ultra-consistent Regency Horse - trained by Cruz's younger brother Tony - the obvious favourite.
But the tip for Sir Ernesto must be substantial to sway a pari-mutuel market so heavily, even if there was only $250,000 in the win pool and a comparable amount in the quinella pool.
In the early quinella prices, the 11-13 combination of Gold Striker and Sir Ernesto was top public pick at $62, with the second most popular bracket being the coupling with Regency Horse at $66. Sir Ernesto was formerly a member of the John Hawkes stable in Sydney. He won three of his 10 starts, highlighted by his final two appearances where he won races at 1,300 and 1,400 metres on the Kensington track.
Since joining the Cruz team, Sir Ernesto has found himself in some hot competition, but did well for second to Floral Pegasus over 1,400m on January 14.