John Moore-trained Secret Sham has long hidden in the vast shadow cast by some of his more illustrious stablemates, and so it was the case again yesterday despite a shock win in the final Group race of the season, the Prince Jewellery & Watch Premier Cup.
Moore was not on hand to see Secret Sham make all in the 1,400m feature under a heady ride from Nash Rawiller, giving the jockey his first local Group win and the trainer his fourth Premier Cup, with the trainer instead watching from Newmarket where he is putting the final touches to Able Friend's Queen Anne Stakes preparation.
For Secret Sham, being overlooked is nothing new - he was the stable's third-stringer in his classic year behind Able Friend and Designs On Rome, and this season he has been an also-ran in a number of the big features.
Even yesterday, Moore sent out five of the nine runners in the Group Three, with Secret Sham the unwanted outsider of the quintet. Instead, punters sided with Sha Tin Vase winner Not Listenin'tome, who lined up as the odds-on favourite, while the handler also saddled up Rewarding Hero, Charles The Great and Exciting Dream.
Shocked by Secret Sham's win, Moore said he'd now have to reconsider his plans for the five-year-old.
"He was due to run on the final day over a mile, but that win puts him out of the ratings band, so it looks like he is done for the season," Moore said. "It was a case of the way the race panned out - he just got a soft lead again and went at his own pace."
However, Rawiller said it was a matter of chance that he ended up on the lead, not by design.
"It actually wasn't the plan to lead today," Rawiller admitted. "He'd been going forward in recent starts and doing too much early, so I was hoping to slot in with some cover. However, he jumped so well and after 100m nothing really wanted to lead, I wasn't happy with the speed so I pushed on and nothing attacked me once I got there.
"I think the 1,400m is his best trip, the mile is probably a touch too far for him, but I also think he's better ridden just behind them with a little bit of cover.
Moore said he was slightly disappointed with race favourite Not Listenin'tome (Joao Moreira), who jumped at 1.9 but could only manage sixth.
"It was a little bit of a surprise, no doubt - I thought he would kick a little more," he said. "We'll have to go back to the drawing board and find out where things might have gone wrong because I still firmly believe he will get 1,400m. He will still run on July 1 over 1,200m and we will ask Joao to ride him again."
A race later, Rawiller was at it again, his distinctive action in full force as he drove John Size-trained Country Melody home to win by the narrowest of margins over the straight 1,000m, giving the jockey a double.
"I think he's better than a Class Three horse," he said. "He gave me a terrific feel, he had the right draw and I was confident he'd be competitive. I was worried about halfway that I'd made a bad error, I let Sky Man cross me which meant I lost the advantage of the outside rail, but I thought I would have put the horse further out of his comfort zone by trying to hold him out. In the end, it paid off. Now he will be up in Class Two, and very hard to beat with a light weight in that grade."
"Personally, though, I think he might be a bit brilliant for 1,200m. Given the right run, it's possible, but the 1,000m suits best. I'd love to see him run at Happy Valley, although I know options are limited for Class Two horses at the course and distance. Just as long as he doesn't go back to a wet track again - it's pretty clear he just doesn't go a yard in the wet."
For Rawiller, who made it 27 wins with his double yesterday, he believes things are now heading the right way after a somewhat stilted start to his Hong Kong career.
"There were a couple of suspensions at the start and it took a while to find my form," he said. "I had a goal of winning a Group race this season and I thought my chances had run out but obviously it came just at the right time. I think I've laid a good foundation this season, I've become a lot more familiar with the scene up here, and I think next season I can take another step. The big thing I've learnt is that Hong Kong is all about inches - there's not the same margin for error, or the same leeway, as is perhaps the case in Sydney or Melbourne.
"The family will be heading back to Australia over the off-season, and I have had a couple of offers to ride while I'm back down there, but I might just wait and see how it plays out. I would like to keep the eye in, though, because I want to do the best I can next season."
