HK Fastnet Rock Stakes Quinella
Champion sire Fastnet Rock featured with a quinella in the Group III The Lion Rock Trophy at Sha Tin on Sunday with his two Irish bred sons Booming Delight (4g Fastnet Rock x Starship, by Galileo) and Eastern Express (5g Fastnet Rock x Mohican Princess, by Shirley Heights) fighting out the finish.
The John Moore trained Booming Delight was ridden by young Australian jockey Sam Clipperton, who settled the four year-old gelding near the tail of the field before unleashing a powerful finish.
Booming Delight surged to the line to win the 1600 metre contest by the best part of a length over Eastern Express.
“I’m thrilled,” Clipperton said, “and to do it for John Moore and on this horse, Booming Delight, too, he has been my favourite horse since he started racing here. I do all of his trackwork, I’ve ridden him in most of his starts, I got down to 116 pounds to ride today. It’s a relief, but it’s also a thrill. That’s been the whole season, just amazing.”
It was the first stakes win for Booming Delight, who has won six of 13 starts.
Booming Delight was not initially among entries for the Lion Rock Trophy, with his next run originally scheduled for 25 June’s G3 Premier Plate (1800m).
“I’m glad we ran him now, obviously,” Moore said. “I just didn’t want to upset the preparation we had already planned, but the owner was happy to change and it has paid off for him. He’s always looked one of our better four-year-olds and it is great to see him join the list of Group winners.”