Willie Way completed a running double for Vinery in Hong Kong on Saturday to complement another successful afternoon’s racing in Australia.

Vinery legend More Than Ready sired Willie Way (pictured) to post the first win of the season for trainer Paul O’Sullivan at Sha Tin.  “We’ve had a slow start and I knew that was coming before the start of the season,” the Kiwi conditioner admitted.  “We retired a lot of horses last season and we lost our best horse Win Beauty Win in a stable accident last month.”

Willie Way travelled beautifully for Karis Teetan and kept finding to hold out Great Treasure (Husson) over 1800m.  He is from AJC Oaks Gr.1 winner Dizelle who is a sister to 2007 Hong Kong Horse of the Year Vengeance Of Rain.

“He won very impressively early on here and got very high in the handicaps,” O’Sullivan said.  “There’s not many suitable races for him but on grass today, with a small field, he got the right run and stuck his head out at the right time.”

Vinery graduate Strathallan had given Teeton the first of three winners at Sha Tin on Saturday.  The Stratum 3yo was a $240,000 buy from Vinery’s consignment to 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.  Strathallan is a half-brother to Perth stakes winner Mr Utopia (Choisir) and his 2yo half-sister by More Than Ready is owned by Yulong Investments principal Zhang Yuesheng

Top-class sprinter Winter Bride gave Vinery’s broodmare ranks a boost winning another Group 3 in the Northwood Plume Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday.  She was backing up after a powerful victory over the same course and distance in the How Now Stakes Gr.3 last month.

Vinery partner Steve McCann bought her dam Amberino (Perugino) for $150,000 at the 2016 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale.  She had claimed an Emancipation Stakes Gr.2 at Randwick among 10 wins for Victorian trainer John Moloney.  Amberino has a first-crop yearling filly by Vinery sire Press Statement and was one of 158 mares covered by Star Turn in his first book at Vinery last year.

Another well-bred yearling with a Vinery connection is the Headwater filly from Lucky Toss (Dash For Cash).  She’s a younger half-sister to Lindsay Park filly Champagne Boom who was a brilliant winner of the Debutante Stakes LR at Caulfield Saturday.

Headwater (Exceed And Excel) stands at Vinery for a $16,500 (inc GST) fee and his first yearlings will join those by Press Statement at the major yearling sales in 2019.