Voyage Warrior took full advantage of a wayward display from the much-vaunted Aethero and threw a spanner in the works of Hong Kong's elite sprint division with a 23-1 success in the G2 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin today.
Aethero was sent off at 1.8 to cement his reputation as HK's most exciting young prospect after a lengthy break but John Moore's huge three-year-old missed the break and seemed to resent being rushed up to chase the leaders by Zac Purton.
A rough passage swinging for home saw the hot favourite fade tamely to trail home last of seven, but Voyage Warrior rationed his energy much more smoothly with Vincent Ho aboard for the first time and made every yard to hold Hot King Prawn by three quarters of a length with Aethero's stablemate Thanks Forever half a length back in third.
"I don't know what to say," said a rueful Moore. "Once he missed the start he got chopped out and that was the end of it. We know that's the way things will go if he gets back among the field - he's going to over race."
Moore still intends to aim Aethero at the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize in three weeks' time but faces a searching test to revive the chestnut's fortunes.
"You just hope he doesn't do it in the big sprint," he said. "He'll run in that for sure unless there's something amiss. Thanks Forever ran right up to expectations - no queries there - but with Aethero, boy, once you miss the start it's better to draw an outside gate."
Moore has been preparing Aethero to lead from the off and has no plans to change tack now. "This is the way we've got him trained," he added. "You can't send him out there now getting ready for a G1 and put him in behind - this is not the time."
Meanwhile, winning trainer Ricky Yiu paid tribute to the HKJC's Conghua facility - sited 200km north of Sha Tin in Mainland China - for helping Voyage Warrior settle into a perfect racing rhythm.
"Conghua has given him a change of environment," he said. "Horses can eat better, they put on weight and relax and the track there is not as busy. Mentally he has picked up something there. I saw the difference when he came back early last week. His coat was shining and he was more eager and it was the same on the track today as he didn't pull at all."
Voyage Warrior looked a potential star in winning his first two starts last season and, having produced a career best performance here, Yiu has no intention of changing a winning formula ahead of a rematch with Hot King Prawn and Aethero in the Chairman's Sprint Prize.
"He'll go back to Conghua soon and will be back here in three weeks - where else do I go? He's still maturing and I always had a lot of faith in him."
Yiu is engaged in a long-running battle for his first trainers' championship with Francis Lui and didn't hesitate when asked whether he would prefer that title or a G1 prize with Voyage Warrior in the final third of the season." He added: "Why not both? He's one of the upcoming sprinters now and you've got to be greedy!"
