Smart Giant Continues March To The Top

Smart Giant’s half-sister was a triple Gr 1 winner and the Hong Kong-based four-year-old is moving stylishly closer to earning his stripes at the top level. At Sha Tin last night he was a runaway winner over 1800 metres to confirm his standing as one of the colony’s rising stars.

The son of Pins is out of the O’Reilly mare Spring whose daughter Daffodil carried the WS colours to victories in the AJC Oaks, New Zealand 1000 Guineas and the Hawke’s Bay Challenge Stakes. It is also the family of the Gr 1 Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes winner Good Faith.

Smart Giant, whose July victory sealed last season’s Hong Kong premiership for trainer John Moore, was a winner on his return to racing last month and then finished runner-up when conceding five and a-half kilos to Turf Express. He was dynamic last night when clearly superior to his class two rivals when again giving away up to six and a-half kilos in weight to take his record to five wins and four placings from nine appearances.