"He's a very talented horse, I had great fun riding him today," Moore said after the New Zealand-bred had quickened a length and three quarters clear of runner-up Singapore Sling in the HK$18 million classic over 2000 metres.
The exciting bay clocked 2m 01.18s, the fastest time in 19 runnings since the four-year-old feature was upped to 2000 metres. After anchoring at the tail of the 14-runner field, 11 lengths astern of the pace-setting The Golden Age, Ping Hai Star blitzed through the final 800m.
The only horse to break 23 seconds for the penultimate sectional (22.91s), the
5.2 chance backed that up with a searing 21.99s for the final 400m. That was
0.27s faster than the next quickest closing split, that of third-placed Exultant."It wasn't really the plan, to be that far back, at all," Moore revealed. "I just felt I'd ride him with lots of confidence – I believed before the race that he was the one horse that could have more class than anything else in the race and I think that showed.
"He's just a high quality horse with a very good turn-of-foot; when you get on him he's a big, solid, strong horse, very powerful underneath you. Someone pointed him out to me back in January actually – said he's a good horse. He ran that trip no problem at all."
It was a third win in the race for trainer John Size, with Ping Hai Star following Fay Fay (2012) and Luger (2015).
"You can't win a race any more dominantly than that. He was the class horse that came out of the pack, so he's identified himself today," Size said.
Ping Hai Star went into the third and final leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series as an intriguing untapped talent. While his main rivals battled for honours in the first two legs, Size masterminded an assault on the series finale with three consecutive handicap wins at 1400m. No Derby winner before had headed into the race without a win at a distance of a mile or more.
In fact, Size had indicated as recently as January that the galloper would likely stick to distances at a mile and under for the foreseeable future, thus sidestepping this year's Derby.
An impressive win two weeks ago prompted a change of plan."The last time he raced, I saw something that I liked about him as far as a Derby prospect was concerned," Size said. "He came from the tail of the field, he settled quite nicely, he was very happy to reel off some quick sectionals at the end of the race. The only gamble was whether he was fit enough and had the stamina to run 2000 (metres) with his inexperience.
"I backed him up quickly into a (barrier) trial at Happy Valley and I was very satisfied with all that, and then it was just a matter of coming to the races and hoping that the race unfolded and was run to suit him."
The plan worked. The Hong Kong Classic Cup one-two Singapore Sling and Exultant had no answer for the Nom Du Jeu gelding's sustained acceleration. Hong Kong Classic Mile victor Nothingilikemore faded out to 11th, leaving Ping Hai Star as the undisputed king of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series.
"We'll have a think about what he'll do; I'll absorb what's happened and look to where he goes now," Size said.
Ping Hai Star has the overall record of six wins and three placings from 10 starts and is clearly a horse on the up.
He won two of three starts in Australia for the Stuart Kendrick stable in Queensland last year as Ted before being sold to Hong Kong.
A half-brother to Group II winner Neo, Ping Hai Star is from Encosta de Lago mare Vicky, a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Group I winner Delago Brom and Group II winner Brom Felinity.
Ping Hai Star has an intriguing pedigree featuring a 3 x 4 double cross of Sadler's Wells with an additional line of Northern Dancer blood through his full brother Fairy King.
A Group I ATC Australian Derby winning son of Montjeu (IRE), Nom du Jeu stands at Raheen Stud at a fee of $3,300.
Ping Hai Star is the second stakes-winner for Nom du Jeu joining Alcadesa.
