Exultant gets back to ideal distance in Hong Kong Derby

Nothingilikemore was the star of the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Singapore Sling of the Hong Kong Classic Cup, and on Sunday it might be a third horse’s turn to shine in the final leg of Hong Kong’s 4-year-old classic series, the $2.3 million Hong Kong Derby.

The mile of the series’ first leg was too short for him, and the 1800 meters of the Classic Cup was better, but Exultant is back at what appears to be his best distance, 2000 meters, in the Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin.

“It works in his favor,” Exultant’s jockey Zac Purton said of the Derby’s distance. “There are a lot of horses in this race that I think won’t run the distance.”

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Exultant already has, winning a 2000-meter Class 2 handicap Dec. 23 at Sha Tin, his only victory among five starts since being imported from Ireland, where he raced as Irishcorrespondent. Exultant is a son of Teofilo and the Mark of Esteem mare Contrary, and is trained by Tony Cruz. Following his course and distance win, he was a respectable fourth in the Classic Mile and a closing second in the Classic Cup.

Nothingilikemore won the Classic Mile nicely enough when stepping up a furlong in trip to 1600 meters, and a decent fourth-place finish in the Classic Cup might’ve had more to do with a poor start than a sheer inability to get the 1800 meters. Yet it will still be at least mildly surprising if the John Size-trained Nothingilikemore produces a peak performance at the Derby distance.

Singapore Sling appears to be a deserving favorite Sunday for two-time Derby-winning trainer Tony Millard and jockey Chad Schofield. Singapore Sling apparently needed his first Hong Kong start, and a second-out win at Happy Valley wasn’t accorded a great deal of respect until Singapore Sling finished second in the Classic Mile. In the Classic Cup, he displayed very useful tactical pace before rolling home a 1 1/4-length winner over Exultant, who finished well while clearly second-best on the day.

Making his first appearance in the classic series is another Size charge, Ping Hai Star, who gets the services of Ryan Moore with Joao Moreira booked on Nothingilikemore. The progressive Ping Hai Star has won three races in a row, including an easy Class 2 romp in his most recent outing, but the New Zealand-bred son of Nom de Jeu races beyond 1400 meters for the first time in Hong Kong.

Post time for the Hong Kong Derby, race 8 of 10 on the card, is – unfortunately – 4:35 a.m. Eastern. First post is 1:00 Eastern. Race 3, the Rapper Dragon Handicap, a Class 1 over 1600 meters, is headlined by the mercurial Pakistan Star, whose first race following a long layoff occasioned by his erratic behavior produced an encouraging fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup.