Caspar Fownes was on the money when he said there would be a real buzz at Happy Valley last night.
Whether he was talking about the crowd or himself, Fownes brought plenty of energy, roaring “Come on!” as Joao Moreira drove Decision Link home in the opener to deliver the perfect start to his three-month stint as stable rider.
When news broke in February that Moreira would return to the Hong Kong riding ranks as Fownes’ retained rider, the trainer said he would make sure to have a few ready to go on his first night, and it certainly looked that way with Decision Link, who was having only his fourth start for the stable.
It was no gimme for Moreira in his first ride back in the city since December’s International Jockeys’ Championship, with barrier 12 to overcome aboard Fownes’ class-dropper, but he worked his way into exactly the spot he would have wanted.
Moreira had Decision Link settled ninth, one off the rail with cover by the 1,050-meter mark in the Class 5 1,200m contest, traveling sweetly but still with 6 1 /2 lengths to make up on leader Thousand Cups at the 400m. He peeled second-widest turning for home while Thousand Cups kicked clear and still held a length advantage inside the 150m. But Decision Link rattled home with an 11.19-second final 200m sectional to win by half a length on the wire, with plenty in hand.
Fownes may have downplayed Moreira’s return as a title play, but the Brazilian said the arrangement clearly gives the stable a stronger hand.
“It works out pretty good because I was supposed to come earlier in the season, but things didn’t work out,” Moreira said. “Now it has come to a point where the championship is really on fire and Caspar is having the best shot by having me on the team to back him up. This is what I am here for, to support him and to get the best results.”
Fownes and Moreira kept rolling through the night, striking again with Golden Brilliant in Race 4, Sky Cap in Race 6 and Perfect General in Race 8. That allowed Fownes to draw level with Mark Newnham on 47 wins at the top of the trainers’ championship.
