The first stakes race of the new season in Hong Kong was run at sha Tin on Sunday with the Group III Celebration Cup (1400m) won by Aussie bred Deep Field gelding The Golden Scenery.
Trained by Tony Cruz, the seven year -old was given an exceptional ride by Brenton Avdulla charting a course close to the fence before sliding through a gap to challenge and then going on to claim his first Black type victory by half a length.
A two-time winner in Australia at Ipswich and Doomben racing as Dominant King, The Golden Scenery had twice been placed at Group level in Hong Kong – running third in the Celebration Cup last year.
“The Golden Scenery has always been a very honest horse and he’s always good at the start of the season and wins a race. I planned this race for a while and today the give in the ground helped,” Cruz said.
Purchased originally for just $4,000 at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale from the draft of G Rapisarda , The Golden Scenery is the first winner from Saga’s Gift, a metro winner by Real Saga that traces back to stakes-winning juvenile Definately Ours.
The Golden Scenery is the 36th stakes-winner for the now pensioned Deep Field, who is the reigning champion sire in Hong Kong and posted a treble at the Sha Tin meeting on Sunday with Sugar Ball and Master Mastermind also successful.
