Trainer Mike Moroney may not have been at Sandown, but he would have liked what he saw from debutant Japanese Emperor.
Moroney has returned to New Zealand for the funeral of his father Denny who died on Saturday aged 93 and did not witness live the win of Japanese Emperor in the Ladbroke It! Plate (1200m) on Wednesday.
A $360,000 yearling purchase by Satono Aladdin, Japanese Emperor scored in the style of a galloper with a bright future ahead of him.
Specked in the betting from $41 into $14, Japanese Emperor, under the guidance of Jamie Mott, stormed home to win by two lengths from Who Dares ($5) with Jovial Wagon ($8.50) three-quarters-of-a-length away third.
Moroney’s racing manager Anthony Feroce said Moroney and the trainer’s brother Paul had to go over budget to secure the gelding.
As a mark of how much Moroney likes Japanese Emperor, the now three-year-old is nominated for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in October.
“I know Michael and Paul loved this horse and had to go over budget to secure him, but you can see why, he’s a lovely horse,” Feroce said.
“This time of year, all these nice horses and those you think have ability, you have to nominate them everywhere and (the feature races) are early nominations, so you’ve got to put them in, so we’ll see where he ends up.”
Mott could not have been more impressed by the win of Japanese Emperor adding he will be a horse that will appreciate getting out in distance.
“The stable really liked the horse but probably more so over more ground with time, but he couldn’t have been more impressive today,” Mott said.
“We drew wide, I elected to ride him quiet, I went back to the fence and just put him to sleep for most of the race.
“When I was able to angle him out in the straight, he was a little bit awkward trying to get him out into the clear, but when I did, he exploded.”
