Trainer Mike Moroney will raise the bar with Shenzhou Steeds after the NZ bred gelding completed a winning hat-trick in the LR Sunshine Coast Guineas on Saturday.

Shenzhou Steeds (3g Ishiguru – Sun City by Spectacular Love) stormed home to defeat Under The Eiffel and Benny’s Buttons by more than a length at the end of 1600 metres.

“He’s got a lot of talent but has also got a lot of filling out to do yet,” Moroney said.  “That’s one of the reasons I brought him to Queensland for the winter.  He will go back home for a spell now and will get to 2000 metres when he matures.”

Moroney bought Shenzhou Steeds on the recommendation of his Sunshine Coast Guineas jockey Chad Ormsby.  

“Chad rang me up after winning on him in April and said he could develop into a Cups horse.  But told me to hold off because the horse was having another start on a wet track and wouldn’t handle it.   He ran fourth that day and we managed to buy in for a slightly lower price.”

Shenzhou Steeds won a Class 1 at Caloundra and a Class 3 at Doomben before graduating to the Guineas.  “He’s a big leggy horse with loads of ability,” Moroney claimed.  “There are plenty of races to suit him in the spring.”

His sire Ishiguru died due to complications from a knee injury in September 2009.  A son of Danzig, he shuttled from Tweenhills Stud to Australia in 2003 and was then re-routed to Chequers Stud in NZ.

His dam Sun City is a half-sister to G1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Reganza (Vice Regal) who foaled G1 VRC Oaks winner Kensington Palace (Kingston Rule).

Sun City won 5 races up to 2100m in NZ and her earlier foals include the Hong Kong winner Hot Shot (Ishiguru).  The mare has a yearling filly from Ishiguru’s last Kiwi crop and a weanling colt by Keeper.