STATUE'S WILLING SON STORMS HOME AT HAPPY VALLEY

The South China Morning Post’s turf editor, Murray Bell, said it didn’t go by the book and it wasn’t a knockout blow, but Willing Storm’s late burst to win the Hong Kong Exchanges Challenge Cup was still the central beam to Weichong Marwing’s Jockey Challenge success at Happy Valley on 19 April.

The John Moore-trained Willing Storm (Ire) won his way back to Sha Tin and an elevation to Class One with this fine win off a 98 rating - his third for the season and his fourth from 12 since being bought from England after five runs as a juvenile through 2007.

“I was a little further back than I thought I might be but there was a good speed up front and Willing Storm always travelled well for me,” Marwing said later. “Fortunately, the race opened up for me at exactly the right time and he hit the line very strongly. You’d have to say it was quite an impressive win.”

Moore described Willing Storm as “very genuine”.

Moore’s followers threw in for a big win in the good-looking black son of the Storm Cat stallion Statue of Liberty, backing him down from $28 to start a very firm $22 favourite.