EXULTANT returned to his best to take top honours in the Group 1 FWD QEII Cup at Sha Tin.

Beaten by Time Warp when long odds-on in the Hong Kong Gold Cup in February, the six-year-old turned the form around with his stablemate as he got the better of a duel from some way out before holding another Tony Cruz runner, Furore, by three-quarters of a length.

A model of consistency since moving to Hong Kong and second in this race 12 months ago, the winner was known as Irishcorrespondent when trained in Ireland by Mick Halford, finishing third to Churchill and Thunder Snow in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

It was also a victory of note for Zac Purton, who was narrowly beaten on Beauty Generation in the preceding race on the card and had also suffered disappointment in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

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