Japanese superstar Maurice clinches Hong Kong Cup

Hong Kong : Japan’s superstar Maurice clinched the Hong Kong Cup on Sunday at the city's Longines International Races, one of the world's richest race meetings with a total purse of HK$83 million. 

British jockey Ryan Moore stormed to victory in the last strides and finished the 2,000-metre course in less than two minutes and a second.  

“He was a special horse at a mile, and at ten furlongs he’s even better,” the winning jockey said of Maurice after the race.

“He has improved every time I have ridden him.”

Australian Zac Purton finished second on Secret Weapon, while Staphanos, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, finished third. 

The Hong Kong Cup is the highlight of the four Group One events at the annual meet at Shatin Racecourse -- which also includes the Hong Kong Mile, the Hong Kong Sprint and the Hong Kong Vase.

It is also the city’s richest race with a total prize money of HK$25 million. Japanese horses made up almost half of this year’s contenders.

The triumph for five-year-old Maurice, Japan’s 2015 Horse of the Year trained by Noriyuki Hori, followed last year's win in the Hong Kong Mile.

Another star of the day was undoubtedly Purton, who snapped up the 1,600-metre Hong Kong Mile with Beauty Only, an hour after emerging victorious in the 1,200-metre Sprint event on Hong Kong-stabled gelding Aerovelocity.

“He’s always been so honest but now that he’s fully matured and acclimatised we’re really seeing what he can do,” Purton said of the horse afterwards. 

Earlier in the day Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira rode Japan’s Satono Crown to a stunning victory in the 2,400-metre Hong Kong Vase, beating odds-on favourite Highland Reel in the final stretch.

A crowd of more than 94,000 turned out at the grandstand and total betting turnover was HK$1.508 billion, organisers the Hong Kong Jockey Club said.