Trade Fair Star’s Brilliant Hong Kong Group 2 Win

And the five-year-old is now aimed at the Group 1 Champions Mile, also over 1600m, at Sha Tin on Sunday, May 5.

Packing Whiz was having his first start for trainer Caspar Fownes after being transferred by owner Lee Man Yan from the John Moore stable in February.

Australian jockey Brett Prebble settled Packing Whiz at the tail, moved up as the field swung for home and gained an opening half-way up the straight.

Packing Whiz then dashed over the final 400m in 22.37sec. to beat the Moore-trained Dan Exel (Shamardal) by 1 1/2 lengths in 1.34.50. Pure Champion (Footstepsinthesand) was a further 1 1/4 lengths away third.

The international racing media described Packing Whiz’s win as ’emphatic’ and as ‘a flawless display.’

“It was exciting for the horse,” said Fownes after the win. “And it was exciting for the stable.

“We are really looking forward to the Champions Mile. We didn’t really open him up today.

“He doesn’t show a lot in the mornings. He’s a gentleman on the track. Just does his own thing.

“That’s the way I like it – as long as he brings his best effort to race day it’s perfect.”

Packing Whiz, from Swizzle, by Efisio, first showed he was a top-liner in the making when, racing as Al Rep, he won the Group 3 Premio Parioli (the Italian 2000 Guineas).

The Premio Parioli, first run in 1907, has un-earthed a number of future champions, including Nearco, who took the classic in 1938.