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26th stakes winner for Declaration Of War
Australian-bred Voyage Warrior (4 g ex Chaleur by Stravinsky) proved too strong against a high-class field in The Sprint Cup (Gr 2, 1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday and in the process handed former shuttler Declaration Of War (War Front) with his 26th stakes winner - his seventh bred in Australia.
The four-year-old gelding stayed on stoutly to beat Hot King Prawn (Denman) by three quarters of a length with another half a length back to Thanks Forever (Duporth).
Voyage Warrior was last seen finishing fourth behind Hot King Prawn over 1200 metres on 8 March and his victory on Sunday took his record to five wins from 10 starts.
"He's maturing and that has meant he's had some ups and downs, he's had bad patches, but he's improving and each time he's gone over 1200 metres he's run better," trainer Ricky Yiu said.
The four-year-old has spent time in the relative tranquility of the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Conghua facility and the handler credited that experience as being a key factor in the Declaration Of War gelding achieving his first high-class win.
"He's been to Conghua – he's been there about three to four weeks and he's much more relaxed now, he's not pulling like he was."
Yiu expects to pitch his emerging talent into the Chairman's Sprint Prize (Gr 1, 1200m) on April 26, when he is likely to lock horns again with Hot King Prawn and Aethero (Sebring).
"We'll keep him over 1200 (metres)," he said. "He'll be against the same horses in the Group 1 next time. He's going to go up a lot in the ratings but it doesn't matter now, he's in the Group races."
Voyage Warrior was purchased by the Robt Dawe Agency for NZ$55,000 at the New Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale in 2017 and then realised NZ$280,000 when purchased by his trainer Ricky Yiu at the NZB Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs later that year.
He is out of winning Stravinsky (Nureyev) mare Chaleur making him a half-brother to Listed winner Speech Craft (Oratorio) and two other winners.
Further back this is the family of Group 1-winning pair Wall Street (Montjeu) and Bezeal Bay (Zabeel), Group 2 winner Coalesce (Zabeel) and Listed winner Mahsusie (Mukaddamah).
Chaleur died in March 2017.
Declaration Of War stood for two seasons in 2014 and 2015 in Australia and those two crops have produced three Group 1 winners; Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Vow And Declare, Warning and Winning Ways.
The son of War Front (Danzig) now stands at JBBA's Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan.