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4-day back-up? No problem for Dinozzo

John Size-trained, Joao Moreira-ridden 5YO leads all the way in Group 3 Centenary Vase Handicap at Sha Tin

Hong Kong's reigning champion trainer John Size and champion jockey Joao Moreira have enjoyed plenty of success, both on their own and in tandem.

But, few wins will demonstrate their collective mastery quite like Dinozzo's victory in the Group 3 Centenary Vase Handicap over 1,800m at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Dinozzo won a Class 2 handicap over 1,650m at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, after which Size declared that he would run the five-year-old again in Sunday's feature.

The Australian handler is a rare proprietor of the quick back-up, only producing horses off a three - or four-day lay-off four times this decade.

"I think the winter makes it easier to back up, for the horses at least," he said.

"In the summer, it's very tough. We have only a very short period of cold weather in Hong Kong, so the opportunities aren't there as much.

"I did do it quite often when I was training in Sydney, but it was a completely different environment.

"I've seen some of the boys do it here though, with good results. It's just not me, usually. But in this particular case, we had a rating issue in terms of the class.

"We had a horse that we thought would handle it and we had the climate to help us out.

"Obviously, he's handled the back-up from Wednesday night and he's done what we'd hoped."

Once the horses had reached the gates, the baton was passed from Size to Moreira.

In a manner befitting his status as champion jockey, the Brazilian rider took advantage of a lack of pace in the seven-runner field, taking Dinozzo straight to the lead and dictating terms at a moderate tempo.

"Under the circumstances, they let me do everything I wanted in front," said Moreira.

"I was going easy out in front and building up from the 600m, so it was going to be hard for them to come and pass him. He's such a fit horse."

Size said that he had instructed Moreira to make his own luck on the speed:

"It was a race where there was not much speed, so rolling to the front on a fit horse was not going to be a damaging tactic for him."

At the top of the straight, Moreira slipped his charge more rein, with the bay quickly putting up a large margin on his rivals.

As a measure of Dinozzo's dominance on speed, the Tony Cruz-trained runner-up Gold Mount produced the third-fastest last sectional over the Sha Tin 1,800m in the last four years, bettered only by multiple Group 1 winners Designs On Rome and Helene Paragon.

But, that 21.93sec closing split could get the stayer only within three-and-a-half lengths of the winner.

Moreira was full of praise for Size, with the rider saying the horse was in tip-top shape at Sha Tin on Sunday.

"John Size used the race in Happy Valley on Wednesday to prepare him for this and he did it pretty well," he said.

"Wednesday night was pretty much like a barrier trial, in the end. And, obviously, all the credit should go to John."

Options now may be limited for Dinozzo, with Size not ruling out a start in the Group 1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup over (2,000m) on Feb 25.

"I said there weren't many options the other day, and it's going to be even harder now," he said.

"We've got the prize money at least for the owners, so the plan's worked in that sense. I will see where he ends up in the ratings tomorrow. I never make any decisions on a racetrack, so let's wait and see." - HKJC