Joyful Winner´s Coronation In Queen Silver Jubilee Cup Make way for a new champion because Joyful Winner´s denying Silent Witness victory in the final strides of the Queen´s Silver Jubilee Cup marked a definitive changing of the guard. It was in this race 12 months ago that Silent Witness registered his 17th straight win - his most recent in Hong Kong ? but try as he might, the most successful thoroughbred in HK racing history had no answer to the late charge of Joyful Winner, a most progressive horse who continues on an upward curve. Marking his maiden Gr.1 appearance in this 1400m race worth HK$4.5 million, Joyful Winner started a 4/6 favourite to depose the reigning king in the final leg of the Champion Sprint Series and was settled five lengths in rear behind Silent Witness making the most of a soft lead. For a moment Silent Witness looked like the champ of old as he straightened for a home with a length to spare, ears pricked and with the race at his mercy if he could just produce an extra burst of acceleration. However, once unleashed by Christophe Soumillon - on a flying visit from duties in France - the real quickening came out wide from Joyful Winner who headed Silent Witness four strides from the line and won by a length. High Intelligent ran third. It´s testament to the race-closing prowess of Joyful Winner that he was able to redress a four lengths break on a world renowned sprinter with 400m to race, a distance that was covered 22.7 seconds. 'He has a very strong finish so I wanted to save him for that kick. The only horse I have ridden here that has given me the same sensation has been Bullish Luck and he was the first one to beat Silent Witness last year so I felt Joyful Winner would be able to do the same today,' said Soumillon. Joyful Winner was the fifth win from seven domestic Gr.1 races in Hong Kong to date this term for trainer John Moore in his 'best season for 21 years' and rejoining John Size at the top of the trainers´ championship. 'I´m very pleased because he has proven that he is a genuine Gr.1 horse,' said Moore. 'The obvious race for him now is the Champions Mile next month [May 7] and if he does well in that race we might then consider the Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo in June.' American-bred, Australian-based El Moxie sired the first two past the post. At present this stallion has only seven representatives in training in Hong Kong, one of them a world champion sprinter, the other a dashing seven-furlong/mile performer still with considerable upside potential. Silent Witness is likely to face his conqueror again in the Champions Mile. 'He´s still not at his best. The same horse of last season would have won that race and I think he´s still two lengths from his top,' owner Archie da Silva commented. 'But he was getting there. We have gone from finishing seventh, to third and now to second. Maybe he can get there first next month.'
