Winning Horse: Munhamek (GB)

6yoG Dark Angel (Ire) - Cadenza (Fr)(Dansili (GB))
35 starts - 6 wins 5 seconds 4 thirds 2 fourths $805030

Other Wins
1st Sha Tin Indigenous Hcp (C3) 1400m (2021)
1st Sha Tin Fwd Insurance Jw Region Hcp-C4 1400m (2021)
1st Sha Tin Kowloon Tsai Park Hcp (C4) 1400m (2020)
1st Gb - Thirsk Cliff Stud Thirsk Hunt Cup This Saturday Novice Stakes 1608m (2019)|
1st Gb - Kempton Park Aw 32Red Casino Novice Auction Stakes 1408m (2019) (Debut Run)

Race Result:

1st: Munhamek (N Ryan/B Shinn) - $6

2nd: El Rocko (J McArdle/J Mott) - $5
3rd: Cardinal Gem (G Begg/J Childs) - $4.20F

Winning Time: 1:25.75 Last 600m: NA

Margins: Long Neck x Long Neck

Winning Trainer: Nick Ryan (assistant trainer Toby Lake interviewed)

On the horse: “He’s actually a pretty straight-forward horse. We’ve had a few horses come to us from Hong Kong in the past and it’s a fine line - they either make it or they don’t - and he’s been one that’s always been straight-forward and easy to deal with.

“He’s shown us that he’s definitely up to and better than this grade so we came here pretty confident today.”

On comparisons with another Hong Kong recruit Dice Roll: “I don’t think he’s quite the horse Dice Roll was. Before Dice Roll went to Hong Kong he placed third in a French Guineas, this horse hasn’t quite done that, but he’s definitely Saturday grade, that’s for sure, and he might be a little bit better than that.”

On the winning ride: “I just want to say how good the ride was. From (barrier) 14, he just saved all the ground and peeled out. I think the ride won the race.”

Winning Jockey: Blake Shinn

How does the horse compare with the horse he rode in Hong Kong?: “No different, to be honest. He’s still the horse that I’ve known from Hong Kong, he’s a lovely horse, very genuine, great character about him.

“The horses, when they’re well-cared-for, as he was with Caspar Fownes in Hong Kong, not overtaxed, it’s nice to see them come back to Australian soil and reproduce that form, because it can give a horse that reached hs mark in Hong Kong another life, so to speak, here in Australia.”

On how the race panned out: “It wasn’t going to be simple from the draw. There were no real instructions from the team, so I just let it unfold. I know this horse back-to-front from Hong Kong and I just had to trust the horse and trust the process. Thankfully, everything worked out nice and he delivered for us today.”