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Ryan Moore won the Hong Kong Classic Cup aboard Sun Jewellery

Ryan Moore and Sun Jewellery win the Hong Kong Classic Up at Sha Tin from Werther (right) and Hugh Bowman. (Photo: Hong Kong Jockey Club).
Image: Ryan Moore and Sun Jewellery win the Hong Kong Classic Up at Sha Tin from Werther (right) and Hugh Bowman. (Photo: Hong Kong Jockey Club).

Ryan Moore's status as the world's number one go-to jockey was further enhanced as Sun Jewellery landed the Hong Kong Classic Cup in front of a packed house at Sha Tin.

In victory, the John Size-trained four-year-old became just the second horse to win both this race and the Classic Mile.

Punters had expected the John Moore-trained Werther, ridden by Aussie ace Hugh Bowman, to reverse form from the Mile over the extra furlong of this contest.

But after a thrilling battle, it was Moore who extricated his mount from a pocket and snuck up the inside to land the spoils from Werther in a blanket finish.

"Sun Jewellery's a class horse and class usually tells over a distance," Moore told the South China Post. "He's probably just got a class edge on these horses and that allows horses to stay a little bit further than you think they would."

Close up in fifth was the former Aidan O'Brien-trained Giovanni Canaletto, fourth in the Investec Derby at Epsom last June.

Sun Jewellery's stamina is now set to be tested even further when he moves up another furlong for the Hong Kong Derby on March 20.

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"He settled nicely today, went to sleep in the run, then picked up and sprinted when Ryan wanted him to and it looked a very determined effort," Size told the South China Morning Post. "He's very competitive every time he races. The 2,000m is a different kind of race, he has to go around another bend and past the post the first time, so they're things he has to deal with.

"The distance doubt is always there but I don't think about it - we just roll on to the next race and hope he gets it. Like most good horses, he does a lot of things right, his temperament makes him manageable in a race and determined in a finish so they are attributes you'd love to have in every horse."

Watch a free Youtube replay of the race by clicking here.

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