The talented five-year-old son of More Than Ready (USA) delivered a decisive
home straight spurt that carried jockey Zac Purton to a three-quarter-length
score in a time of 1m 50.14s – his final 400m was the fastest of all at 22.12s.Trainer John Moore, who was not on course, has nursed the Queensland Derby winning gelding back from a lung infection that clouded preparations into December's G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m), in which the chestnut finished eighth.
"I galloped him recently and he gave me a good feel – he was clean in his wind and I said to John he was going well, so it was no surprise to see him come out and do that tonight," said winning rider Zac Purton.
Eagle Way won the 2016 G1 Queensland Derby (2400m) pre-import and his form in the higher grades meant that the galloper shouldered 133lb to land Happy Valley's only Pattern race.
"Carrying top-weight in a Group 3 race in Hong Kong is extremely hard to do, so I had that in the back of my mind but he jumped well, we had a lovely run and he showed a really good turn-of-foot," Purton said of Eagle Way, successful in last season's G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap (2400m) at Sha Tin.
Bred by Segenhoe Stud, Eagle Way was a $200,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Segenhoe draft for George Moore Bloodstock and has won seven of 24 starts.
He is a half-brother to stakes-winners Assertive Eagle, Impressive Eagle and Soaressa, the dam of Group III winning sprinter Thermal Current.
20 year-old Wedgetail Eagle has a yearling colt by Choisir that will be offered by Segenhoe at the 2018 Magic Millions Sale as Lot 437 today and is pictured below and delivered a More Than Ready (USA) filly last spring.
