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Healthy Happy leads throughout in HK Classic Cup
Widden Stud-based Zoustar (Northern Meteor) sired his 18th stakes winner and first in Hong Kong when Australian-bred gelding Healthy Happy (4 g ex Lady Lakshmi by Lonhro) landed the Hong Kong Classic Cup (Listed, 1800m) - the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic - at Sha Tin on Sunday.
A winner of two starts when trained by Peter and Paul Snowden in Australia when known as Leviathan, the Frankie Lor-trained gelding was last seen running seventh in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (Listed, 1600m) and was attempting to win his third race since arriving in Hong Kong.
Healthy Happy was quickly away from the barriers and settled at the front by Alexis Badel and when asked to quicken inside the final two furlongs he responded to just hold of the challenge over last year’s Hampton Court Stakes (Gr 2, 1m2f) winner Russian Emperor (Galileo), who is a son of multiple Group 1 champion Australian mare Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock).
Australian-bred Shadow Hero (Pierro), who won the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) in 2019 and Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) in 2020, was another nose away in third.
Purchased by James Harron for $375,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Woodside Stud Park draft, the gelding is out of Listed-placed Lonhro (Octagonal) mare Lady Lakshmi, who is herself a daughter of Listed winner Dashing Granada (Keltrice).
Dashing Granada is also the dam of stakes winner Celebrity Girl (Starcraft), who in turn produced Group 2 scorer Instant Celebrity (Not A Single Doubt), while she is also the grandam of Group 3 winner Generalife (Lonhro).
Further back this is the same pedigree as Listed winner Kabblamo (Marauding) and Group 3 winner Northeast Shelia (Keltrice), who in turn produced Listed winner Jacqueline Rouge (Ne Coupez Pas).
Zoustar’s progeny is headed by Group 1 winner Sunlight and he has 22 lots catalogued at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, which gets underway next Sunday, while he is represented by 33 lots at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, which begins in Sydney on April 6.
