TEAM SPIRIT, RUNNING GLORY & HEZA BEAUTY

9 January 2022

The winners just keep rolling in for Price Bloodstock clients and Sunday at Sha Tin brought up another winning treble as two team stalwarts returned to winning form and another youngster showed the promise of bigger things to come.

The youngster was Running Glory, who had met with all types of bad luck when expected to win his first two races but finally had the cards fall into place on Sunday and made a complete mess of his opposition as he posted a widening margin of more than three lengths.

Trainer John Size and champion jockey were suitably impressed by the win.

“The good tempo looked like it suited him very much in the run and he was able to take advantage of that,” Size said. “Unlike the first two runs, he got a nice run this time and away he went. He’s always shown a little bit of ability and we were hoping he’d win a race quickly. It’s only his third start so I think that’s good enough – he’s done a good job.”

Moreira said he had been confident of getting a good result but the manner of the win surprised him on the upside.

“I thought he could win, but I didn’t think he would win in such an easy way. He impressed me in the way that he won with great authority by a big margin, which I didn’t expect,” Moreira said.

Size also landed the prize with Price Bloodstock’s Heza Beauty, who hadn’t won for over a year but made it four victories at the Sha Tin 1400m with the addition of blinkers for the first time on Sunday and pushed his prizemoney earnings past $4.5 million.

Coincidentally, Team Spirit’s last win had been the week after Heza Beauty’s previous success but the consistent seven-year-old showed his customary courage at the finish to scramble in narrowly and return to the winner’s list seven races earlier than the Size-trained galloper.

“We’ve been waiting for a while but he’s very consistent this horse,” said trainer Chris So. “In Class Three, he is competitive. He’s a healthy, honest horse and he has only one style – in front. And that’s why it suits to have an apprentice on today. He did a perfect job, followed the instructions perfectly.”

Team Spirit’s earnings are getting within sight of $8 million now.