Premier trainer John Size strengthened his team for the Hong Kong International Races when his rising five-year-old Real Specialist recorded a first-up win in the Panasonic Cup at Sha Tin on Saturday.
With Douglas Whyte aboard, Real Specialist looked beaten at the 300m but lifted in the final stages to grab New Vision and Keen Marie for a narrow but impressive win and raise hope of an invitation to contest the Hong Kong Mile on December 9
"With 100m to go, I wasn't going to get there, but he sticks his neck out and really wants to win," Whyte said of his effort.
In Size's first Hong Kong season he announced his arrival by producing Electronic Unicorn to win the Panasonic Cup in stunning fashion before taking the Chevalier Cup next as his stepping stone to the international meeting.
That option isn't open to Real Specialist as his rating now renders him ineligible for the Chevalier Cup, leaving Size to consider his next move.
Size has the option of backing up Real Specialist next weekend in the Jockey Club Mile, a race that would help boost his chnacxes of a call up to the HK Mile, or not running again until the international meeting on December 9.
"I'll see how he is at home and if I think he can back up, he will," Size said on Saturday.
"If I think the best thing for him is to have a few weeks before he runs again, then that's what he'll do.
His rating isn't enough to command an automatic call-up for the international race, but there's a Class One on international day that he can run in if the Jockey Club doesn't select him."
Whyte said Saturday's was far better than the margin may indicate.
"Earlier in his career, he got to that point and he wanted to go left or right and be wayward.
"He got away with it in the lower grades but he's had to change his attitude to make transition to being a big horse, and he's done that now.
"If he gets into these big races coming up, he won't be there just making up the numbers. If the big names make a mistake he'll be there to zap them up."
The win took Real Specialist's impressive record to seven wins and three seconds from 13 starts.
