Hong Kong : All eyes were on Pakistani Star as he returned to the track for the first time since last June, and Hong Kong’s equine cult hero was far from disgraced when finishing fourth behind stable mate Time Warp in the Group 1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup.
Dramatic come-from-behind wins combined with a quirky nature that culminated in him pulling himself up when last seen has added layer upon layer to Pakistan Star’s legacy, and he was always in the firing line on his comeback.
Despite being slow to break, the five-year-old was quickly up with the pace, sitting just behind the leaders as Time Warp and Helene Charisma went hard in front.
Matthew Chadwick saved ground on the inside on Pakistan Star, and turning for home was well-placed to strike, but a gap against the rail failed to materialise.
This left Time Warp to fend off the challenge of Werther and Seasons Bloom with Pakistan Star rallying but unable to land a decisive blow.
Formerly with Sir Mark Prescott when trained in Britain, Time Warp has continued his progress for Tony Cruz, and set a new course record time over the 1m2f trip of 1 minute 59.57 seconds.
Winning jockey Zac Purton said: “Every time I thought I could back the speed off and get a little bit of a breather they kept coming at him and making him work and thankfully he’s still come out on top.”
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