Tron Kingdom added another victory to his impressive record with a thrilling last stride win over Ecstatic Macau in the Class 1 Handicap at Saturday’s turf meeting at the Taipa racetrack.
Ridden by Stanley Chin Tron Kingdom charged home late in a race run at cracking speed, to grab victory right on the wire from Ecstatic Macau (Lei Kin Meng, with Sure Desire (Steven Choi) holding on for third.
Tron Kingdom recorded a slick 1.08 neat for the 1200 metre journey clipping .08 off the Class record previously set by Éclair Fantastic.
A son of the former top European miler Noverre (USA), from the Last Tycoon mare Sweet Executive, Tron Kingdom is a product of the Macau Jockey Club’s 2009 Subscription Tender Scheme.
The highly successful Tender Scheme has produced the winners of 53 races and $11.5 million in prizemoney won to date.
Tron Kingdom has now won 8 races and close to $2.5 million in stakes for owner Jason Chow.
Trainer Gary Moore was supremely confident before the race stating the gelding was right on track for his Derby mission.
“I was delighted with him coming into the race and everything is just pointing the right way at the moment.”
“He’s next start will be the Guineas Prelude over 1400 metres on January 22nd.” Moore said.
“Then it’s the million dollar Guineas over 1500 metres on February 30th.”
Although not ideally bred to run the Derby distance of 1800 metres, Moore is confident Tron Kingdom has the right attributes to go the distance.
“He has good gate speed, he’s a very relaxed and manageable horse in a race, and he can run on any type of track.”
“And he is the best four year old here by far.”
Moore sits on 22 winners in the trainer’s standings six ahead of Patrick Lee, with the combined stable of Brian Kan and Tommy Tse on 14 winners in third spot.
Earlier in the day Moore provided visiting French jockey Gaeton Faucon with his first winner in the enclave when Super Vegetable easily accounted for his opposition in the Class 3 & 4 over 1000 metres.
Faucon is a polished horseman who after a few quiet weeks here in Macau got a chance to display his talents on the weekend booting home a winning double.
Best Stallion from the Patrick Lee yard gave Faucon his double for the day per medium of a nice rails hugging ride by the Frenchman in the last of the day the Class 5 & 6 over 1500 metres.
Racing Review by Harry Troy