Expectations around Mongolian Falcon were sky
high at Ruakaka and the classy colt didn't let anybody down.
He made his three-year-old debut in Saturday's Harcourts Just Rentals and
victory was delivered in the style his trainers Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs
craved with ambitious spring plans in place.
"We've got a huge opinion of him," co-trainer Chris Gibbs said. "He'll
definitely be nominated for the VRC Derby and if we take that path then he
won't be hanging around in New Zealand for too long."
A $150,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Coolmore draft for Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry, Mongolian Falcon was a trial winner before he finished third on debut last
season and second-up he beat the subsequent Gr.2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes
winner Gold Rush.
The son of Fastnet Rock and the Group performed Galileo mare Amazing Beauty
then ran a close second in the Listed Reid & Harrison Slipper before he was
put aside after he suffered an interrupted run when unplaced in the Gr.1
Diamond Stakes.
"He spelled well and he's in beautiful order," Gibbs said. "He's still learning,
but he did everything right today."
Mongolian Falcon bounced out well from the gates under rider Leith Innes to
race on the speed and he asserted his superiority in the closing 100 metres to
comfortably account for the pacemaker Matuzalem.
"We put the blinkers on for the first time because it was only 1000 metres,"
Gibbs said. "He's a pretty smart colt." – NZ Racing Desk.