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| - Exultant returned to his best in Hong Kong's QE II Cup on Sunday, winning in the Group One 2,000 metres event to atone for the Tony Cruz-trained horse's near-miss in the Sha Tin race last year. On a day when fellow hot favourites Aethero and Beauty Generation couldn't deliver, Exultant reigned supreme to win his fourth Group One and first for the 2019-20 campaign. The six-year-old was a close second to Japanese runner Win Bright 12 months ago but there were no internationals to spoil his party this time around as the coronavirus pandemic restricted the meeting to local horses. No crowd was permitted at Sha Tin either, with only competing horse owners and their guests allowed on the track. Jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu meanwhile won his first Group One aboard Southern Legend in the Champions Mile, holding out against fan favourite Beauty Generation in a nail-biting finish. "It's amazing, there were no spectators but it's a Group One," Ho said. "I have been working really hard and I'm thankful for all the opportunities. It's definitely not easy but hopefully there's plenty more to come." Mr Stunning turned back the clock in the Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200 metres), winning for the first time since his Hong Kong Sprint victory in December 2018 to add a third Group One success to his resume. The Frankie Lor Fu-chuen-trained seven-year-old was ridden by Mauritian Karis Teetan, who was also in the saddle for the horse's last top-level success. Teetan said he knew the horse wouldn't go down without a fight after entering the home straight travelling in midfield. "I just had so much horse underneath me and I was just waiting for that gap to open. This horse, his heart is bigger than anything so I knew he would let down," he said. str/axn
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