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Irigh-bred gelding becomes 96th stakes winner for Darley’s former shuttler Teofilo’s
Glorious Dragon (6 g ex Tipperary Honor by Highest Honor) has avenged defeat in the 2020 Centenary Vase Handicap (Gr 3, 1800m) by denying Exultant (Teofilo) a third win in the staying feature while delivering jockey Matthew Poon one of the most important triumphs of his career. The victory also provided former Darley shuttler Teofilo (Galileo) with his 96th stakes winner.
Beaten by Tony Cruz’s Exultant in the same race last year, Glorious Dragon swept past the reigning champion under Poon’s urgings to succeed by one and three quarter lengths with Furore (Pierro) a further neck away in third place.
The authority of the victory delighted trainer Francis Lui after the grey was narrowly defeated by Savvy Nine (Anodin) in the January Cup Handicap (Gr 3, 1800m) on January 6.
“I am very happy to win this race because I targeted both of the last Group Three races for him,” Lui said.
“The last time he got a bad draw (10), I thought he would have finished much closer if he managed to get in where we wanted, this time he had a light weight and it all worked out.
“He has a few leg problems so we had to take it easy with him, early in the season I tried to work him but he wasn’t ready so we gave him more time, he is ok now.”
Lui will consider a tilt at the Hong Kong Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) at Sha Tin on February 21.
Bought for €235,000 by Jeremy Burmmitt at the 2016 Arqana October Yearling Sale, Glorious Dragon has now won four times and been placed in another seven of his 21 career starts. He is out of the unplaced Tipperary Honor (Highest Honor) who has produced three other winners including the stakes placed Beauvoir (Footstepsinthesand) who raced as Double Glory in Hong Kong.
Teofilo’s 2021 fee at Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland is set at €30,000.