KEY POINTS:
Hong Kong-bound jockey Zac Purton regrets he won't be around with German Chocolate this spring, following the rising sprint star's slashing win in yesterday's Missile Stakes at Rosehill in Sydney.
Purton said he would look to rearrange his plans in order to stick with the Paul Cave-trained gelding when he returned to the venue for the Premiere Stakes in two weeks.
"It's a shame I'm going away because I think he will be competitive in some of those sprints over the Melbourne spring carnival," Purton said. "Next Saturday was going to be my last riding and then I was going to have the week off but I may ride him if they want me to."
German Chocolate settled midfield but stormed home to take out the 1100m feature by a length over La Montagna with Vionneto another half-head away third.
The winner missed more than a year of racing with a suspensory injury but has won three of his four starts since returning in June. The Group Three success was his most significant and Cave said his charge appreciated the firmer track.
Noel Thompson, representing La Montagna's trainer Barry Baldwin, said they were thrilled with the 2006 Stradbroke Handicap winner's return. The mare was injured last spring then was found to have strained a ligament earlier this year and was "retired" for a short time.
- AAP
