After mastering the step up from Rating 65 to open class in the $50,000 Print House Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday, in-form five-year-old Lingjun Xiongfeng (The Factor) has a Group Two feature on New Year’s Day in his sights.
Previously a placegetter behind Pinarello in the Gr.2 Championship Stakes (2100m) as an autumn three-year-old in April 2022, the talented grey recorded his first win in 21 months with a stunning burst from the back of a 14-horse field at Pukekohe on December 9.
Backing up two weeks later in a much higher grade, Lingjun Xiongfeng went back-to-back on Saturday with an even better performance. Patiently ridden by Billy Jacobson, the five-year-old entire dropped out to the back of the field before being brought to the outside at the top of the Te Rapa straight.
Jacobson released the brakes and Lingjun Xiongfeng exploded, bounding past his seven rivals with ease. He kept going from there, opening up a winning margin of five and a half lengths.
Monza finished a distant second, with last year’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Asterix producing an encouraging first-up run for third.
Trained by Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard, Lingjun Xiongfeng has now had 21 starts for three wins, eight placings and $122,335 in prize-money. He was bought for only A$40,000 in Adelaide as a yearling in 2020, and he is owned by Ma Junping.
“He’s absolutely flying at the moment,” Gerard said. “He’s jumping out of his skin, working and eating well and looks terrific. He’s very fit and I’d been very happy with the way he’d been working.
“He was absolutely amazing at Pukekohe last start, and I think in the last month he has grown lengths after being a little bit wayward, obviously still being a colt.
“About a month ago he just started looking like something different, and he’s shown that in races – winning in Rating 65 grade and now a big win against very nice horses in an open handicap.
“He’s a horse with a lot of potential and could now prepare for the Rich Hill Mile (Gr.2, 1600m) at Pukekohe.”
Lingjun Xiongfeng completed a Te Rapa double for Moroney and Gerard, who also won the Waikato/BOP Racehorse Owners Association Mile (1600m) with Mineshaft (NZ) (Merchant Navy).
The four-year-old collected a deserved maiden win after recording two seconds and three thirds from his five previous starts.
Mineshaft will now be aimed at the inaugural $350,000 Remutaka Classic (2100m) at Trentham on January 20. Saturday’s race at Te Rapa was a ‘golden ticket’ for that race, meaning Mineshaft is now exempt from the ballot.
“He’d done well for being freshened,” Gerard said. “He’d been faultless in his work leading into the race, obviously has a liking for the course, and the win qualifies him for a big race.”