She is Gin Player and on Sunday, her eight year-old son Joy and Fun (pictured HKJC) scored a brave win in the Chairman's Sprint Prize HK Gr 1 at Sha Tin, while her three year-old daughter Crystalised opened her winning account with a maiden victory at Sale.
Twice the 'nearly horse' in Group 1 sprints in Hong Kong this
season, Joy And Fun gained a deserved moment in the spotlight with a typically
game display of high-class sprinting that could have booked his ticket back to
the Dubai World Cup meeting in
March.Runner-up to Lucky Nine in the G1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint at the course and distance in December, and a neck second to Eagle Regiment in last month's HKG1 Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup (1st Leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series) over 1000m, the son of Cullen made no mistake this time as he gave jockey Brett Doyle and trainer Derek Cruz a moment to savour.
The gallant veteran brushed aside an unfavourable wide draw and overturned form with Lucky Nine as he powered down the Sha Tin home straight for a three quarter-length verdict over his Caspar Fownes-trained rival, while Sunny King from the John Moore stable was a further short-head away in third. Joy And Fun stopped the clock at 1m 08.98s.
"If anyone deserves to win a Group 1, it's Joy And Fun," said Doyle, who was riding for the last time in Hong Kong this season before taking up a 6-week contract in Dubai. "He's been knocking on the door in all the big races and he couldn't have done it any better. It's great for me to end my time in Hong Kong with a Group 1 winner and we go to Dubai in good form.
"As long as he had a bit of cover, that's all I was worried about today. I dropped behind Eagle Regiment and we had Lucky Nine inside of me, so we had them all covered – it all worked out better from the draw, really. There's always a slight doubt going into a race like this after a couple of tough ones but all credit to the horse, he's very tough and Derek's done a great job keeping him in good form."
Cruz, who was visibly delighted following the race, is now hoping to send the eight-year-old to Dubai for the 1000m G1 Al Quoz Sprint, a race he won in 2010 when it was a Group III.
"We have tried so many times to win a Group 1 with him and on several occasions he has been close - it all worked out to be a great day," he said. "We have always had Dubai in mind for the horse after this. He has done so well for us that we will take it step by step – he has maintained his condition so we will sit back and wait about future plans."
And Cruz did not discount the possibility of a return to Royal Ascot this summer. Joy And Fun's previous visit to England's premier racecourse, in June, 2010, resulted in the gelding suffering a serious injury when contesting the G1 Golden Jubilee Stakes.
"There's a possibility," revealed the trainer, "everything's on the table and we'll assess him. If he hadn't injured himself in England he would have been a very strong contender that day.
"I have to thank my two boys and their great
effort with this horse when he had that life-threatening injury in England.
They spent most of the time nursing him and bringing him back." The Anthony Freedman trained Crystalised (pictured as a yearling) broke through for her first win following placings at her first two starts, taking the 1700 metre maiden by a neck as a short priced favourite.
The Zabeel filly was bought by Lakeview Resources for $1.3 million from the Rich Hill Thoroughbreds draft at the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where she was the most expensive filly sold at the sale and the most expensive filly sold anywhere in Australasia that year.
Crystalised is the sixth winner for Gin Player, who is also the dam of dual Group I winner Zarita, a winner of nine races and $1.6 million as well as Group II winner Run Like the Wind and of course Joy and Fun.
