Aerovelocity flashes speed throughout Hong Kong Sprint

Daniel Yeung Ngai's Aerovelocity, a badly hampered last of 14 in the November

23 Jockey Club Sprint, averted any such trouble in Sunday's Group 1 Hong Kong

Sprint by breaking like a shot to the early lead.

Pressed by Australia's Buffering in the initial stages, the second choice

shook free in the stretch, then found extra to stave off favored Peniaphobia by

a neck. Japan's Straight Girl was another length back in third.

Aerovelocity sped about six furlongs on the good to firm turf in 1:08 2/5 to

earn his first Group 1 title. A progressive handicapper for Paul O'Sullivan over

the course of the 2013-14 season, the six-year-old son of Pins previously

captured the Sha Tin Vase and Premier Bowl.

Winning rider Zac Purton described how Aerovelocity carved out his own trip.

"It wasn't the plan to go and lead, but when you jump that well and the

opportunity is there, you have to take it," Purton said. "I have led on him

previously and he can be ridden like that, so I wasn't worried about it. It took

him about a year to settle in here, and as you can see he can be a bit of a head

case. Once he started to enjoy it, his racing began to improve.

"At the furlong marker he wanted to hang in and get up on the fence, which is

a trait of his, but he wanted to do it more so today than he had done

previously, so I was a bit worried that he was going to take the fence on,

rather than go forward. I managed to keep him off it enough and keep him going

forward. It was a tough effort."

"He got a nice run," O'Sullivan noted. "He got left alone in front -- it was

a good ride on a good horse. It has been a long time since the last big one, so

hopefully we won't have to wait so long for the next one. You get one good horse

and it can turn it all around."

Peniaphobia, victorious in the local prep in which Aerovelocity was forced to

check out of contention, performed heroically while trying to become the first

three-year-old winner in Hong Kong Sprint history.

"He ran a terrific race and we have no excuse once again," jockey Douglas

Whyte said. "It was still a great performance from my horse."

Straight Girl, who was unfavorably drawn in post 13, deserves special credit

for a close third. Irish shipper Gordon Lord Byron was a typically fine fourth,

while Buffering retreated to sixth, Sole Power was ninth, and 2011 winner Lucky

Nine wound up a disappointing 11th.

Bred by N.E. Schick and S.J. Till in New Zealand, Aerovelocity raced under

his original name of Naisoso Warrior in his homeland. The bay won his lone start

at Awapuni for Andrew Scott, then resurfaced in Hong Kong, where O'Sullivan

reportedly had a difficult time trying to find owners for his new recruit. His

Sprint victory advanced his record to 15-8-3-1.

Aerovelocity's dam, the Kaapstad mare Exodus, is a full sister to New Zealand

Group 2 winner Kapitain Kash. She is also a half-sister to Group 2-placed stakes

scorer Dante's Paradiso. This is the family of New Zealand champions Smiling

Like and Nimue as well as Group 1 star Sirstaci.

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