Cruz's charge puts in gutsy performance to land Hong Kong Macau Trophy
Simple, old fashioned fitness was the telling point as reigning champion trainer Tony Cruz was the man to strike back for Hong Kong and take the season's reverse interport race with Happee Owner in yesterday's Hong Kong Macau Trophy over 1,400 metres.
Macau-trained Redwood Falls had won the first interport at Taipa in March, giving Macau runners a third win from the five races staged, but Cruz claimed his third interport as Happee Owner (Felix Coetzee) came back from a Derby preparation and was just too tough.
While most punters considered a Hong Kong runner would win, most believed it would be the John Size-trained Danacourt (Douglas Whyte) but it was all about fitness as Happee Owner held off the odds-on favourite, who scraped in for second only narrowly over Macau Derby winner, St Moritz (Craig Williams).
Despite gate 14, Coetzee had Happee Owner across and travelling coolly outside the leader in the run, while a fresh Danacourt fought for his head every time other runners made contact with him back in the pack.
'I'd get him back settled and the horse on his outside would brush him and up would go the head again,' said Whyte.