3 minute read

Moreira upbeat ahead of first Hong Kong start for Australian-bred son of Ilovethiscity

Jockey Joao Moreira is upbeat ahead of the Hong Kong debut of the John Size-trained Beauty Fit (Ilovethiscity), when he lines up in the Class 3 Sham Chung Handicap (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. 

Raced in Australia as Barocha where he was unbeaten in two career starts for trainer Clayton Douglas, Beauty Fit has barrier trialled five times since he arrived in Hong Kong at the start of the year. 

“His trials have been good, but not perfect because he’s not a horse who shows a lot of speed from the gates,” said Moreira. 

“He needs a race that suits, he’s a horse that doesn’t need to show that much pace early and based on the amount of quality that he’s been showing us since he got to Hong Kong, I believe he’s a very nice horse and he is going out there with a winning chance on debut.

“He doesn’t do anything wrong in the gate but he doesn’t have that initial speed that most of the horses in Hong Kong have but that doesn’t make him a bad horse – he’s a good horse and I think we’re going to see him perform right away.”

Moreira is also positive about the prospects of another Australian-bred in Brilliant Fortune (Deep Field) who will take his place in the Class 3 Lai Chi Chong Handicap (1000m). 

The gelded son of Deep Field (Northern Meteor) finished second over course and distance on his Hong Kong debut two weeks ago. 

“It was a really good run but, unfortunately, he didn’t have experience over 1000 metres at Sha Tin,” Moreira said. “That lack of experience, I think, cost him the race over the last 150 yards, he was so green, he was just unaware of what he was there for.

“He started hanging quite badly and it cost him the race but, overall, it was quite a performance first-up.

“At least we know he’s got ability. After having the experience, he might learn from that and go in a straight line.

“There’s no doubt he’s a good winning chance.”

Brilliant Fortune, a $170,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase by Alan Bell Racing from the draft of Lustre Lodge at the 2018 sale, was originally trained in Australia by Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes. He broke his maiden at his only Australian start by two lengths at Hawkesbury over 1000 metres in September 2019. 

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