By Alan Carasso
Decrypt (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), last seen finishing a game third to Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh in May, gave an excellent account of himself on his Hong Kong debut Sunday afternoon, finishing third in as the 123-pound topweight in a Class 2 over the 1400 metres.
Sent off an 89-10 chance with Zac Purton riding for Hong Kong Derby-winning conditioner Frankie Lor, the gray landed in a midfield position and held his spot while quietly ridden on the turn. The gray colt found running room about five paths off the inside in upper stretch, was bothered slightly by a rival with a little more than 300 metres to race and ran his final quarter-mile in a second-fastest clocking of :23.01 to finish 1 1/2 lengths adrift of fellow 4-year-old Perfect Match (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) (video).
“It was encouraging,” Purton told the Hong Kong Jockey Club's David Morgan. “I thought he did a good job. He travelled a bit keenly through the early-mid stages, but he came out to win and he just ran out of gas at the end.”
Lor indicated that Decrypt would prep for a start in the Jan. 27 Hong Kong Classic Mile in another Class 2 handicap over 1400 metres Jan. 5.
Perfect Match is also under consideration for the Classic Mile, but his trainer Danny Shum was dousing the idea with a bit of cold water post-race.
“The mile could be a problem,” Shum said of the 6-5 favourite. “If you look at him, he's a 1400-metre horse, the pedigree says the mile even might be an issue and if we push him to the 1600 (metres) and he runs no good, it wouldn't be ideal. But I'll talk to the jockeys and the owner and then we'll make a plan what to do.”
Decrypt's stablemate Reliable Team (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) further enhanced his Classics credentials with a one-length victory in Class 3 company over 1600m Sunday (video). It was his first run at Sha Tin, having won three of his previous five career starts at Happy Valley.
“He's solid, he's honest–he had to do a little bit of work to get there but he was able to get a breather through the middle stages and once again he was good on the line,” said Purton, who won two on the program and placed in three others to take the afternoon's jockeys' challenge.
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