Trainer Richard Gibson was just happy to grab a long awaited second win with Glacier Blue, but even more pleased to give the horse's owner, current Jockey Club chairman Simon Ip Sik-on, a win on Chairmen's Day.
It was nearly two years to the day since Glacier Blue notched his only other race win and back on his original rating of 52 he broke through on the day the club honour past chairmen.
"It was nice to see this horse back in the winner's enclosure," Gibson said after Glacier Blue won comfortably as 2.1 favourite. "It's an honour to be training for the chairman, so it's always nice to win for him - but particularly on a day like today."
Ip said Glacier Blue's win "was a long time coming, but his last few races suggested he was in form."
"He is a horse that needs a bit of space and he got that today," he said. "It is very nice to win on this day."
Gibson said the application of sheepskin cheekpieces last start had Glacier Blue more focused. "That was important, we needed to find some spark there with him," he said.
Glacier Blue's win was the first leg of a double for Douglas Whyte, who said "the writing was on the wall" for the six-year-old after a neck defeat to Wah May Baby last start.
"The winner came out and franked the form and today was an easy enough win," Whyte said, who later won on John Moore-trained Tango Fire in a Class Three straight race held in driving rain.
Drawn advantageously next to the outside rail in barrier 14, Tango Fire dropped off the pace early but ploughed through the chopped-up going late to win by three and a half lengths.
Whyte said the key to Tango Fire's win wasn't necessarily the draw that helped as much as the heavy conditions.
"It was like he had a new set of legs," Whyte said. "I was surfing along behind them, just skiing - he absolutely loved it. Of course, we were on the right strip of the track, which always helps."
Tango Fire's only previous win in 18 starts had come over the same course and distance, but was more than 15 months ago, and Whyte didn't seem to hold much hope for any more immediate success "unless it rains again like that again".
Given Tango Fire's limitations Moore said yesterday's win "could make life difficult" for the four-year-old, who was rated 66 coming into what looked on paper a competitive contest.
"There isn't much room to move now, it took him a long time to break through and with the help of some factors that you can't count on all the time, like the track the way it was and the dream draw and the run we got," Moore said. "He has won by three-plus lengths so a big jump in the ratings is obviously going to be tough for him to handle."
