Conners has new star in the making

By Mathew Toogood

SYDNEY, Sept 8 AAP - Best Choice is related to a sprinting champion and Clarry Conners believes he could be the most promising horse he's trained in over a decade following the colt's debut win.

Best Choice, a Redoute's Choice half-brother to Hong Kong's former champion sprinter Silent Witness, finished strongly to win the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1250m) at Canterbury.

Almost 14 years ago Conners took Octagonal's full-brother Mouawad to the same track for a winning debut and when asked how long since he'd had a horse as promising as Best Choice, the trainer replied: "Probably Mouawad".

Mouawad won seven of his eight races between 1996 and 1997 including three Group Ones.

Conners even wore the same tie to Canterbury on Wednesday that he wore to all of Mouawad's races.

"I think he is a pretty special horse," the trainer said of Best Choice.

"I've got a really, really big opinion of him.

"He has had heaps of ability from day one."

Conners admitted to being nervous ahead of three-year-old's debut and had concerns how the big colt would handle the tighter Canterbury circuit.

But with jockey Peter Robl in the saddle, Best Choice got into the clear in the straight and arrived in time to defeat Swift Judgement by a half neck with Mac Chois third.

"He had to start off somewhere but if he hadn't have drawn a decent barrier today then I would have waited and taken him to Newcastle next week," Conners said.

"A bigger track would suit him much better."

The four-time Golden Slipper-winning trainer will progress to Saturday company before his attention shifts to winning a stakes race with the colt in the near future.

Robl was also ultra-impressed with Best Choice and warned there was still plenty of improvement in him.

"He's a lovely big horse and it's a credit to Clarry, he's been working on his horse for about four or five months," the jockey said.

"He said the day I produce him, he'll win. And he was correct."

Silent Witness won his first 17 starts in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2005 and was regarded as the world's best sprinter.

Earlier, the victory of Rain Special in the STC Members Handicap (1900m) was an emotional one after the mare's part-owner Val Storey passed away late last week.

Don Storey and his wife Val have been popular racehorse owners over many years and leading jockey Corey Brown sported a black armband in the race.

"I have only trained for Don and Val for the past couple of years but honestly, you couldn't get nicer people to train for," winning trainer Joe Pride said.

"They are great participants in racing and my condolences go out to Don today."

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