Singapore’s leading trainer-jockey team of Laurie Laxon and Joao Moreira were bang on target with Warrior (NZ) at Kranji on Sunday.

Warrior (5g O’Reilly – Black Sugar by Sound Reason) is raced by Kelvin McGrail on behalf of Hong Kong-based owner Nancy Wong.  He was always handily placed on the rails and went on to score by one length in the useful time of 1:24.58 for 1400 metres.

“Kelvin is the racing manager for Nancy Wong who owns this year’s Hong Kong Derby winner Fay Fay,” Laxon said.  “This horse was a bit unlucky at his first couple of runs here but he’s a big, long-strider and the 59kg on his back was never a worry.”

The O’Reilly gelding arrived from New Zealand last March, where he raced as Black Warrior for Pukekohe trainer Gareth McRae.  He had initially been sold for $75,000 out of the Waikato Stud draft at the 2009 NZ Bloodstock Karaka yearling sale.

Warrior is a younger half-brother to Black Muscat who won the 2003 NZ Bloodstock 3YO Classique at Tauranga.  Their dam is a half-sister to Sydney Group 1 winner Wong (AJC Chipping Norton Stakes & STC George Ryder Stakes).

WARRIOR
NZ bred winner in Singapore on Sunday