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Lucky Missile breaks Hong Kong maiden; Begg happy with low draw for Romancer

Lucky Missile breaks Hong Kong maiden

New Zealand-bred gelding Lucky Missile scored his first Hong Kong win when successful in the Class 4 Tsoi Tak Handicap (1650m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

Trainer David Hall credits a gear change with the win and is confident the son of Rock 'n' Pop will improve from the run.

"Lucky Missile  is still a three-year-old, he's still sort of learning his way and getting his confidence so I think he can progress and get a couple of more wins," Hall said.

"The side-winkers made a bit of a difference tonight, we were going to go with the blinkers  but he worked a bit too fiercely in them so we backed off, went halfway with the cheek-pieces, and it did the job.

Former kiwi galloper Waldorf also saluted on Wednesday. The son of Highly Recommended jetted through runners from deep to nab the season's last race, the Class 2 Cheong Ming Handicap (1200m) by a neck under Karis Teetan.

The evening also marked the end of John Moore's phenomenal career as a licensed Hong Kong trainer, which brought him seven champion trainer titles, eight Horse of the Year heroes, all-time record win and prize money totals, 36 Group One wins, six Hong Kong Derby victories and numerous other big-race successes.

Ricky Yiu sealed the champion trainer title and though there was no presentation to mark his victory due to COVID-19 restrictions Yiu was fine with the quieter celebrations.

"I've really achieved my goal, this is the peak of my career, but a lot of people are more excited than I am," Yiu said. "The staff are very happy – I'm happy too, but I don't have this excitement."

Begg happy with low draw for Romancer

An inside barrier draw for Romancer  in a 1600m handicap at Flemington has trainer Grahame Begg hopeful the gelding can land the first win of his current campaign.

Romancer heads into Saturday's James Dunbar's Flemington Inn (1600m) off an unplaced finish in the Listed Winter Championship Series Final over the same course and distance last Saturday week.

But Begg believes drawing barrier two in the current field of 12 gives Romancer a better chance to figure on Saturday, with apprentice Teo Nugent to claim 2kg off the gelding's 59kg impost.

"He's going to get two kilos off his back and he's drawn a good gate which is the first time this preparation he's drawn a decent gate over the right distance," Begg said.

"'His past three runs he's drawn wide gates and hasn't had the ideal run, so at least he gets a gate where he (Nugent) can come out very neutral on him and just get a good run."

Romancer was at $18 on Thursday with the field headlined by top weight Sircconi who dominated the Winter Championship Series Final last start, winning by four lengths.

The Nick Ryan-trained Sircconi, who goes up from 56kg to 62kg, is the $4 favourite.

Six-year-old gelding Romancer's most recent victory was at The Valley in August last year.