Glorious Forever Wins Chess Match in HK Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

When last they met, the Archipenko full-siblings Glorious Forever (GB) and Time Warp (GB) dueled each other into submission, finishing well down the field in the G2 Jockey Club Cup over the Sha Tin 2000 metres Nov. 18. Prior to Thursday’s barrier draw for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup, trainer Frankie Lor more or less guaranteed that there would be no such worries this time around, as he suggested that Glorious Forever would be ridden from off the pace, which was almost definitively going to be set by Time Warp. It was gate 1 for Glorious Forever at the draw, at least opening the door for a revisiting of the game planning, and so it proved, as Longines International Jockeys’ Championship winner Silvestre de Sousa pinged the barriers and led every step of the way for a near carbon copy of last year’s win by Time Warp. Deirdre (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was along late to spoil what would certainly have been a rare Group 1 quinella for full-siblings.

“Everything was in my favour, the draw was perfect for riding a horse who could be one or two in the run. Everything went to the plan,” de Sousa insisted.

Well into stride, Glorious Forever was given the positive ride that the masses–by and large–did not see coming and led them at a tempo that was only steady as Zac Purton employed patient tactics atop Time Warp that had never really worked to best effect heretofore, eventually settling his mount in the slipstream of his year-younger brother.

“I talked to Silvestre yesterday and said ‘if he jumped good try to take the lead and if Time Warp pushed too hard then he could take the sit behind him’. We drew one and Time Warp seven so that made a difference,” Lor said.

Well-rated in the middle portion of the race, Glorious Forever took them along in single-file order–bar Seasons Bloom (Aus) (Captain Sonador {Aus})–and de Sousa did an exemplary job of backing down the pace, with the first 1200m covered in 1:14.62. Still just galloping on the turn, Glorious Forever cut the corner in front, and push came to shove for Purton and Time Warp. Steered off the fence to deliver a challenge, the burly chestnut tried hard to reel in the front-runner, but ultimately it was a vain chase, as Glorious Forever proved a capitalistic winner. Deirdre tracked her favoured compatriot Sungrazer (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) around the turn and into the stretch and ran on gamely while no threat to the winner. Sungrazer lacked a late punch in fourth.

“I didn’t want to overdo it in front, but to make sure Time Warp didn’t come around, I had to make sure we were going a true gallop,” de Sousa said. “I won the battle for the first 300 metres and I was going so well at the 800 (metres), I thought to myself they would have to be very good to pick him up; it would have to be one of the Europeans because I didn’t think Time Warp would come again.”

The domestic way forward for Glorious Forever would surely include a start in the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup and a likely rematch with Time Warp, who broke the two-minute barrier in winning that event earlier this year. But Lor would not rule out loftier goals.

“I’ll need to talk to the owners first and I’ll need to have a good look at the overseas programmes so it’s a maybe,” Lor said.

A winner of two from eight in England for Ed Walker, who saddled Cup entrant Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic), Glorious Forever made his Hong Kong debut some five months after Time Warp’s win in last year’s Cup, closing the campaign with a course-and-distance success in Class 2. He added another C2 victory in October and could not reel in the loose-on-the-lead Time Warp in the G3 Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse two weeks ahead of his Jockey Club Cup debacle.

Pedigree Notes:

Glorious Forever is one of two winner for three to race for his dam, a winning daughter of the stakes-winning Heat of the Night (GB). Third dam Hot Thong (Brz) was a Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed in her native country and was bought back on a bid of 50,000gns when offered by Kirsten Rausing’s Lanwades Stud in foal to Selkirk at the 2002 Tattersalls December sale. Dam of the 2-year-old filly Heatwave (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), Here to Eternity foaled a filly by Oasis Dream (GB) this past Apr. 21.

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
LONGINES HONG KONG CUP-G1, HK$28,000,000 (£2,806,306/€3,161,777/A$4,896,849/US$3,578,605), Sha Tin, 12-9, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 2:01.71, gd.
1–GLORIOUS FOREVER (GB), 126, g, 4, by Archipenko
1st Dam: Here to Eternity, by Stormy Atlantic
2nd Dam: Heat of the Night (GB), by Lear Fan
3rd Dam: Hot Thong (Brz), by Jarraar
(110,000gns Ylg ’15 TATOCT). O-Michael Kwan Wing Lok; B-Miss K Rausing; T-Frankie Lor; J-Silvestre de Sousa; HK$15,960,000. Lifetime Record: 16-6-4-1, HK$20,768,000. *Full to Time Warp (GB), Ch. Middle Distance Horse & MG1SW-HK, MSW-Fr, $3,959,883. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Deirdre (Jpn), 122, f, 4, Harbinger (GB)-Reizend (Jpn), by Special Week (Jpn). (¥21,000,000 Ylg ’15 JPNJUL). O-T Morita; B-Northern Farm; T-M Hashida; J-Christophe Lemaire; HK$6,160,000.
3–Time Warp (GB), 126, g, 5, Archipenko-Here to Eternity, by Stormy Atlantic. (€37,000 Ylg ’14 TISEP). O-Martin Siu Kim Sun; B-Miss K Rausing; T-Tony Cruz; J-Zac Purton; HK$2,800,000.
Margins: 1, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 34-5, 9-5, 41-10.
Also Ran: Sungrazer (Jpn), Northern Superstar (SAf), Gold Mount (GB), Seasons Bloom (Aus), Stormy Antarctic (GB), Staphanos (Jpn).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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