By Alan Carasso
His older half-brother Blizzard (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) finished third in the 2016 Hong Kong Classic Mile and in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), but ultimately ended up a high-class sprinter, with a win at Group 3 level and a big-odds third to Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint of 2017. Furore (NZ) (Pierro {Aus}) has always looked a scopier type and it appears he's inherited a good bit of his little brother's talent, as he broke through Sunday with a handy victory in the Classic Mile, the first step along the road to the BMW Hong Kong Derby in two months' time.
When in for last weekend's two Group 1s, Hugh Bowman took Furore for a Sunday stroll around Sha Tin, and the champion jockey allowed Furore to drop back into the latter third of the field, as Ka Ying Star (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) got across from his wide draw in gate 12 to set the pace in advance of Superich (NZ) (Red Giant) as Mission Tycoon (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) got the best trip just behind them. Bowman managed to pinch some ground on the bend and was four back on the fence as Ka Ying Star turned them in, looking to make it two-from-two locally. Eased off the inside at the 350m, Furore non-chalantly brushed Gold Win (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) out of the way and into the clear, then sailed home to score convincingly. Mission Tycoon parlayed that perfect trip into second, while Lor-trained favourite Dark Dream (Aus) (All American {Aus})–three wide the majority of the trip and deeper still into the lane–and Harmony Victory (Brz) (Public Purse) got home very well on the grandstand side to lay down their markers for the remaining two legs of the series.
“It felt every bit as good as it would have looked,” Bowman, whose best previous finish in the race was a frustrating second aboard Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) three years ago, told the HKJC's David Morgan. “I'm delighted with him–this is not his trip. After performing like that over this distance today, that's very exciting for the rest of his Derby preparation.”
Trained in Australia by Kris Lees, Furore won each of his first four starts at odds-on, then was fourth–placed third–behind D'Argento (Aus) (So You Think {NZ}) in the G1 Rosehill Guineas. Sixth in the G1 Australian Guineas in his final run for Lees, Furore was seventh on Hong Kong debut over 1400m on Dec. 16 and improved to be third to Ka Ying Star over Sunday's trip Jan. 6.
Pedigree Notes:
Furore becomes the 14th black-type winner for his successful young sire and is one of three winners from as many to race for his dam, a half-sister to G1 Brisbane Cup winner Danestorm (Aus) (Danehill) and to her stakes-placed full-sister Danesty (Aus). The latter is coincidentally the dam of GSP Mr So and So (Aus) (So You Think {NZ}), eighth in Sunday's race, as well as G1SP Mr Sneaky (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}). Third dam Copperama won the 1981 G1 Thousand Guineas and later became the granddam of 1996 G1 AJC Oaks victress Danendri (Aus) (Danehill). After producing fillies by the ill-fated G1 Australian Guineas hero Ferlax (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) in 2016 and 2017, Stormy Choice was most recently bred to Written Tycoon (Aus).
Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
HONG KONG CLASSIC MILE-LR, HK$10,00,000 (£977,409/€1,128,418/A$1,799,472/US$1,274,546), Sha Tin, 1-27, NH/SH4yo, 1600mT, 1:34.28, gd.
1–FURORE (NZ), 126, g, 4, by Pierro (Aus)
1st Dam: Stormy Choice (Aus), by Redoute's Choice (Aus)
2nd Dam: Shalbourne, by Nureyev
3rd Dam: Copperama (Aus), by Comeram (Aus)
*1ST STAKES WIN. (NZ$210,000 Ylg '16 NZBJAN). O-Lee Sheung Chau; B-GSA Bloodstock Pty Ltd; T-Frankie Lor; J-Hugh Bowman; HK$5,700,000. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Aus, 9-5-0-2, HK$6,871,100. *1/2 to Blizzard (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}), GSW & G1SP-HK, $2,026,138.
2–Mission Tycoon (Aus), 126, g, 4, Written Tycoon (Aus)–Lakemba Gold (Aus), by Made of Gold. (A$50,000 Ylg '16 INGFEB). O-Elite Leisure Syndicate; B-A G Tobin (Vic); T-Frankie Lor; HK$2,200,000.
3–Ka Ying Star (GB), 126, g, 4, Cityscape (GB)–Casual Glance (GB), by Sinndar (Ire). O-Leung Shek Kong; B-Kingsclere Stud; T-Tony Cruz; HK$1,150,000.
Margins: 2HF, NO, NK. Odds: 22-5, 204-1, 63-10.
Also Ran: Dark Dream (Aus), Harmony Victory (Brz), Green Luck (Aus), Superich (NZ), Mr So and So (Aus), Tigre du Terre (Fr), Charity Go (Ire), Packing Warrior (Ger), Heavenly Thought (Aus), Easy Go Easy Win (NZ), Gold Win (Fr).
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