Monday, 18 June 2012: Australian trainer Peter Leyshan combined with Brazilian jockey Fausto Durso to pick up a winning double on Saturday's turf card at Taipa.
On a track downgraded to heavy following race one, Durso gave Silk Cut a gem of a ride to bolt away with the Class 3 over 1800 metres.
Durso saved valuable ground in a rails hugging ride that seen him go from near last to first in the space of one hundred metres.
“That was a classic ride by Durso.” Leyshan said
“At that stage in the day there was no need to skirt as wide as the other riders did, there was nothing wrong with the inside.”
Silk Cut who is raced by Australian owner Stephen Rose has always looked promising and was coming into the race second up since March.
“We spelled him after his last win as there wasn't any suitable races for him.”
“He ran great first up over 1200 with the apprentice on and that topped him off nicely.” Leyshan added.
Handy galloper Rayson saluted in the Class 2 & 3 over 1400 metres in another rails hugging ride by Durso to down Easy Money (Manoel Nunes) by just over a length, with Golden Spiritual (Stanley Chin) close up in third.
“That was another good ride by Durso, he went around one horse in the straight and it was the difference between winning and losing on this track as he is not as good in the heavy ground," Leyshan said.
Leyshan is always a meticulous planner and generally finishes the season off well. He now has 25 winners for the season and moves into equal fourth spot on the ladder alongside of Tony Fung.
After the weekend Gary Moore holds a six win on 58 over Alan Tam on 52 with K H Leong on 29 in third spot.
* IN one of the biggest performances seen at Taipa the Joe Lau prepared Smiling Happy produced a herculean effort to win the last of the day the Class 3 & 4 over 1100 metres.
Nothing went smoothly for the three year old son of Danzero as the gelding lashed out at the gates prior to the start and was taken out and vet inspected before being passed to race.
Just as the starter released the gates Smiling Happy again struck out at the back gates and came out a good 12 lengths last.
Jockey Manoel Nunes set sail after the field and made up steady ground and set a path wide coming to the home turn but still many lengths off the speed.
In an amazing effort Smiling Happy powered home hard against the outside rail in the fast lane to snatch victory by a short head from Florence Elite (Charles Perkins), with Luen Yat Success (Stanley Chin).
Smiling Happy is raced by Lai Chan Cheong who is best remembered for his two great gallopers in Macau in Warcat and Lascaux who won 45 races between and have been our biggest money earners to date winning close to $HK18 million between them.
Smiling Happy may never reach those heights but is certainly not short on courage and ability, with two wins a second and a third from only five starts.
Manoel Nunes kicked home three winners on Saturday's card against Fausto Durso's two which takes him to 59 winners.
He is two ahead of Durso's 54, with Stanley Chin in third on 46.
Nunes, like trainer Gary Moore is attempting to win his sixth Macau jockeys' title.
MACAU: Stewart Off The Mark
