ANOTHER BARGAIN BUY STEPS UP

WEDNESDAY: January 4, 2023: AS one door closes, perhaps another one has opened?

At least Tommy Wong is hoping that is the case.

The Hawkesbury trainer landed his fourth winner this season when Desi Emperor broke through at Muswellbrook yesterday in the Maiden Plate (1500m).

Ridden by Blake Spriggs and despite coming off sound provincial form, Desi Emperor was largely overlooked by punters and started at $9 before comfortably defeating $2.15 favorite Bo Bo Beware and $26 chance My Artie.

The Kobayashi three-year-old was the second bargain buy for Hawkesbury trainers in the past four days.

Wayne Austin scored with $4000 purchase Promise The Moon at Gosford last Saturday, and Desi Emperor cost only $3000.

“His Indian owner Jay Singh was in England at the time when he bought him through an Inglis online sale in May 2021,” Wong said this morning.

“I sent Desi Emperor to Daiki Chujo at Ballina to break him in, and have taken my time with him.

“I like the gelding’s sire (by I Am Invincible) who raced only seven times and won a couple of two-year-old races at Caulfield in 2017.”

Wong’s handy four-year-old Speedy Song, who won consecutive 1600m and 1800m races at Wyong and Hawkesbury in August and September last year, has been sent to Hong Kong to do his future racing.

Closely related to the now deceased former champion New Zealand mare Sunline, Speedy Song also was an Inglis online purchase (for $13,000).

“I’m sure he will do well over there,” Wong said.

“Hopefully Desi Emperor can take his place and win some more races. Now that he has broken through, I will probably look to try him at 1600m next time.”

However, Wong is wary of doing that at his home track, unlike his former stablemates Speedy Song and Fast Sagrado, who both won at Hawkesbury earlier this season.

“Desi Emperor is fine working at home in the morning, but doesn’t seem to like racing there,” he said.

“He has had two runs there and hasn’t done any good.”

Desi Emperor at his previous start had finished fourth to another Hawkesbury representative, the promising three-year-old Ausbred Rising Sun, in a Provincial Maiden Plate (1350m) on the Beaumont track at Newcastle on December 17.

He had 57.5kg then and carried the same weight yesterday dropping back to country grade.