By Marcus Hersh

SHA TIN, Hong Kong – Glory Vase got a glorious trip under Joao Moreira and won the $2.55 million Hong Kong Vase to kick off the Group 1 action on the Hong Kong International Races program Sunday at Sha Tin.

Moreira, winning for the third time in the card’s first four races, settled Glory Vase in seventh much of the trip, guided him deftly through narrow passageways around the far turn and into the homestretch, dove to the inside when a path failed to open to his outside, and swooped past heavily favored Exultant at the furlong grounds to gallop home by 3 ½ lengths.

Moreira, the Magic Man, had ample assistance from the beast beneath him. Four-year-old Glory Vase, scoring the most important win of his career, broke alertly, raced on the bridle while relaxed, responded willingly to everything his rider asked, and was traveling with alacrity the entire trip. After dipping between rivals in upper stretch, he lit out after pace-setting Exultant, who had no resistance when Glory Vase launched his attack.

“At the 250 meters, I knew I would win,” Moreira said. “He really attacked the line.”

Exultant failed to quicken and was beaten for second by the mare Lucky Lilac, giving Japanese horses a sweep of the top two placings. They nearly took third, as well, with Deirdre, who lost valuable ground around the far turn after racing from the back of the pack, just failing to catch Exultant.

Exultant won this race a year ago and might have been undone by a combination of a poor draw in post 14 and a taxing second 400 meters. After the first 400 (timed from a standing start) went in 24.87, Exultant blazed the second sectional in 25.06. Zac Purton, riding Exultant, tried to ease his mount to the front coming down the homestretch the first time but his efforts went for naught.

“The barrier draw means everything,” Purton said.

Or maybe it didn’t. Glory Vase won so powerfully Sunday that maybe even under ideal conditions Exultant couldn’t have handled him. Trainer Tomohito Ozeki gave Glory Vase an Oct. 6 prep race following a 5 ½ month layoff and said the Vase had been his horse’s target for months. “We thought this course would suit him,” he said through an interpreter. Ozeki experiment with turning Glory Vase into a stayer and the colt had finished a close second going two miles April 28 in the Group 1 Tenno Sho Spring, but Glory Vase showed at Sha Tin he has plenty of pace for 1 ½ miles. He was timed in 2:24.77 for the 2400 meters over firm, fast ground and paid $16.40 to win in the U.S. Ozeki trains Glory Vase, a son of Deep Impact and the Swept Overboard mare Mejiro Tsubone, for a Silk Racing ownership group.

Called to the Bar, the French shipper, turned in a solid performance finishing fifth, while Anthony Van Dyck was the race’s major disappointment. A mildly troubled third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last out, the 2019 English Derby winner became agitated in the post parade, went to post sweating heavily, tracked the leader and faded badly to finish 12th. There was no fading at all from the winner – just Glory in the Vase.