The Maine Chance bred Silvano gelding Chefano, formerly in the care of Robbie Sage when named Vacquero, gave trainer John Moore a sixth win in the Gr3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap run over 2400m with a resolute front-running display at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Vacquero won or placed in four of his SA starts with his most notable effort coming when third to Monks Hood and Seerite in the Dingaans.
Chefano was produced by the five time winning Al Mufti mare Valdovino who is also dam of Vacquero’s useful own sister Vino Veritas, who was runner up in the Gr2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes.
Chefano takes the Queen Mother Memorial Cup under Matthew Chadwick (Pic – HKJC)
Matthew Chadwick dictated the tempo against four rivals – three of which hailed from the same record-breaking stable – and did so with full confidence in his mount’s ability to outrun the rest.
“He travelled early, got an easy time in front and he was always going to outstay them,” Chadwick said.
“I thought his run last time was the best of John’s horses and he had improvement to come, so I thought he was as good if not better than the favourite.”
Helene Leadingstar (119lb) was the market pick and the only horse not from the Moore camp. The Tony Cruz-trained galloper advanced with a wide effort on the home turn as jockey Karis Teetan attempted to press the leader, but Zac Purton on Eagle Way (133lb) had the same idea, forcing Helene Leadingstar to labour three-wide.
Chefano (114lb) was headed briefly but Chadwick regathered the South African import and the pair forged on down the home straight for a two and a quarter-length success over the pursuing Savvy Nine (115lb).
“I said he’d stay all day,” Moore said. “He’s by a sire, Silvano, who went over a mile and a half and he was off a light weight, so from that point of view I had no worries about getting the distance.
“I wasn’t sure about whether Chadwick would be able to get him to travel because he’d never been on him before and this horse can be a little lazy from the 600 (metres) on – he can start to drop the speed a bit but he got the best out of him when they took him on and the horse outstayed them.”
Chefano and co. will likely face a much stiffer task should they take on recent Gr1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) winner Exultant later this month in the last of Hong Kong’s three 2400m races.
“He’ll go to the Gr1 Champions & Chater Cup but that’s set-weights so it’s going to be much more difficult. I will consider the Champions & Chater Cup for my other runners,” Moore said.
The five-year-old became the 110th winner this season to have scored straight off the back of time spent at Conghua, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s racecourse training facility in the Chinese Mainland. That figure eclipsed by one the total winners from Conghua last season, with more trainers able and eager to utilise the facility this term now that they are familiar with how to manage their operations there.
A R300 000 buy from the 2016 Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale, Chefano won twice in South Africa and finished third to Monks Hood in the Gr2 Dingaans.
