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Exultant and Lys Gracieux served up a finish to the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase.

Exultant and Lys Gracieux served up a finish to the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (Sunday, 9 December) of such gripping drama that it raised the Sha Tin faithful to their feet and lifted their roars to a thunderous cacophony. 

The Joao Moreira-ridden Japanese filly headed Exultant with 150 metres to go, only for Hong Kong’s newest hero to fight back under Zac Purton, scoring by a neck in 2m 26.56s. 

“I thought at that point Joao had the better of me,” Purton said. 

The Japanese raider’s trainer, Yoshito Yahagi, said: “I thought she won.” 

Elation greeted the sight of Exultant’s head flashing past the post, a neck to the good over Lys Gracieux. The Irish import became only the third Hong Kong-trained galloper to claim the mile and a half feature following Indigenous (1998) and Dominant (2013). 

And the crowd was still abuzz with whoops and applause when Purton returned to unsaddle – fist-pumping, finger pointing, greeting Cruz with a grinning “Come on, Tony! Get in!” 

Purton took the plaudits when Dominant’s deep-closing surge denied the British filly The Fugue five years ago. This time the Australian ace posted his mount a tracking second behind the Japanese mare, Crocosmia, before kicking on into the straight and then rallying to foil Moreira’s chasing drive.

“He’s just an out and out stayer and we decided to put him up on the pace today against a quality field and just let him grind it out,” Purton said. 

“He’s the type of horse that if he’s going to get into a fight in the last 200 metres over a distance like this, you’d like to be on his back.” 

But even Purton thought the race had gone when Lys Gracieux, successful in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup the time before, rattled to the fore. 

“Joao had the momentum. But my bloke just seemed to be loafing along a little bit and as Joao came to me he actually rolled in and bumped my horse – that seemed to fire him back up and he found his second wind then.” 

Moreira gave praise to Lys Gracieux and rued the hurly-burly nature of the contest. 

“No doubt her performance was outstanding against a horse that was running on his home yard and obviously knows the track inch-by inch,” the Brazilian said. 

“There were a few little issues people might not have seen as I got held up and horses bumped me at 600 metres. Those little things, I think, can affect the horse’s performance and those probably cost her the race, but overall I’ve got to express that I am extremely pleased with her performance.”