A quick thinking move by Manoel Nunes sealed victory for Derby favorite Pearl Green in Saturday’s David Group Macau Derby over 1800 metres.

In a brilliant piece of early riding Nunes had Pearl Green in the perfect spot fourth the rails from gate seven. However once heads were turned into the backstraight the well thought out plans began to unravel. In one of the roughest Derbies run in awhile, Nunes was shuffled back to tenth spot at the nine hundred metres losing at least six lengths in running.

Pearl Green recovered and started to come back into the race but the leaders were packing up and started to tire approaching the corner; it was here that Nunes read the play perfectly; in a lighting move he slipped around the traffic wide out to surge to the front at the two hundred, and pinch a winning break. Royal Garden (Ryan Curatolo) burst out of the pack after Pearl Green and did a mighty job to power home wide out on the outside rail with Curatolo thinking he had won, only to find he had gone down by a neck. Rose Gold Alloy (Matthew Chadwick) ran on strongly for third two lengths away after being held up coming to the home turn.

“What a great effort it was by the horse.” Nunes said after the win.

“I was in a lovely spot early and the horse I was following Happiness Rose I expected to take me at least until the seven hundred, but it was gone at the one thousand mark.”

“From then on there was interference and I just got stuck behind horses going nowhere.”

“Once I was able to let him stride back into the race I then had to make a quick decision when the leaders started to stop before the turn. I know this track and if I don’t take off there we get more trouble and we’ll lose the race.”

For the former six times Champion Macau jockey it was his fourth Macau Derby victory having won the Blue Riband event in 2005 on Doppio, Sunshine Sure Win in 2009 and Triple Crown winner Luen Yat Forever in 2010. It was his seventh Derby winner overall having won the Brazil Derby as an apprentice and two Singapore Derbies to boot.

In a sensational aftermath Ryan Curatolo copped a month’s suspension on a charge of failing to ride Royal Garden to the Satisfaction of the Stewards. The MJC Stewards panel chaired by Australian Peter Dombkins ruled against Curatolo on the following. “Over the final two hundred metres he made insufficient effort to keep his mount on a straight course and finished very wide on the track with his mount being beaten a neck, and in doing so cost it first placing.”

Whist winner are grinners and the Pearl Green camp were doing plenty of that; in contrast the Royal Garden camp were left shattered to be so close, and knowing that they should have been celebrating $2.6 million Group 1 victory had Royal Garden stayed on a reasonably straight course. Royal Garden shifted out at least ten horses from the two hundred metres to finish pretty much on the outside rail.

Pearl Green has been a real bargain buy for owner Mr. Chan Ming Wing who bought the horse on the advice of trainer K H Leong. The four year old son Fastnet Rock (Aus) was a $460,000 Aud purchase at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sales and was subsequently named Meadow Lane.

Placed in the care of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott the then colt failed dismally in two barrier trials and was then gelded and sold onto Macau for the modest sum of $55,000 Aud.

Pearl Green has been the dominant four year all season and made a clean sweep of the Group 3 Derby Prelude, the Group one Macau Guineas and now the Group 1 David Group Macau Derby. With Saturdays winning prize money of $1.3 million HKD plus bonuses earned the gelding has now picked $3.1 million HKD.

Bring Me Speed capped off a wonderful season with a win in the Group 1 David Group Rising Star Cup over 1350 metres on the sand Saturday, and continued his dominance of the juvenile races.

Ridden by regular rider Wayne Smith, Bring Me Speed was given a gem of a ride parking just off the speed with cover from his barrier eight. The three year old was absolutely jogging on their backs coming to the corner, and once in the straight Smith cut loose to burst to the front and grab a winning break. Master Starkiller (Peter Ho) emerged out of the pack to chase him and did a fine job to run him a neck, with Luen On Dance Kid (Manoel Nunes) close up in third.

Prepared by Victor Chan, Bring Me Speed a son of Sebring (Aus) has now won a total of seven races, six of those this season. The flashy chestnut with taffy mane and tail won both legs of the Listed Lisboa Series over 1200 and 1500 (turf) in March and has all the attributes of a top Derby contender for next season.

One of the best wins of the day was another Victor Chan runner in Lucky Winston who came from the tail of the field in a brilliant ride by Martin Wepner to score a runaway win in the Davis Entertainment Class 2 over 1500 metres.

Lucky Winston and Martin Wepner where a formidable combination last season winning four races culminating in the Group 2 Directors Cup in June. The seven year olds form then tapered off a little but Chan has him right back to his best now.

The gelding thrives on the cold riding style of Wepner. With only a couple runners in front of him at the eight hundred, Wepner saved plenty of ground via the rails and only stepped around one runner in the straight the tearaway leader Bow Noculars (Ruan Maia), who ran himself out after going way too hard, and did a god job to hold on for second. Wichita Linesman (Horace Lam) ran on well for third.