"Hopefully I can get more opportunity this year because more people know me properly and who I am this year."
Cheung lauded trainer Shaune Ritchie, of Cambridge, for doing a sterling job in preparing the 6-year-old mare.
"The last time Opie [Bosson] on her didn't show much good."
Cheung and Goldminer, who shot out of barrier one, pipped Surreal Storm and Johnathon Parkes (barrier No 6) by a head with the Stephen Marsh-trained Savour The Moment and Michael McNab (No 2 barrier) settling for third place, half a head behind the second placegetter.
"She had a very soft mouth so we had to keep her mouth good, and yeah, we did a pretty good job," Cheung revealed, happy to let her jump out of the gate.
"I get her relaxed best I can and waiting for top of straight, look behind and run home very strongly."
The jockey felt riding Goldminer for a few mornings certainly helped build a better rapport and made them "90 per cent" sure of winning.
They expected mare Zumba and Miranda Dravitzki to be their biggest threat in the open handicap race.
It was programme favourite High Fashion next by a nose and the Patrick Campbell-trained mare, Shezgorgeous, settling for fifth by a length and a quarter.
"To be honest, today we expected her to do what she did today. We hoped for it but quietly we did expect it today," Neville Lawrence said after the $15,000 1400m dash.
After another year of racing, he said, Goldminer would be turned into a broodmare.
"We'd love to have her in a few black types but she hasn't done quite in the black-type races so we thought we'd get her confidence back and get our confidence back, too, to see if we can do it down here."
Wife Sue Lawrence thanked the Hawke's Bay Racing organisation for holding the family fun day-type of New Year's Day meeting so they could conduct their experiment.
"We love it," she said.
Campbell's Shezgorgeous didn't win but Beyond Belief delivered in the next race, the $10,000 More FM Mile 1600m.
The 7-year-old gelding, with Hayden Tinsley in the saddle, beat Gwynethanne and Dylan Turner with Wannabe and McNab were third and the Kelly Burne-trained Saint Kitt and Shannon Doyle had to settle for fourth place.
"Small fish taste sweeter," a grinning Campbell said of the 17-hands-high Beyond Belief.
"He's a horse who always promised a fair bit but disappointed when he came in last year and had about 12 runs for me."
Peter Evans (Foxton) and Lance Hickman (Palmerston North) own Beyond Belief but Campbell isn't in a rush to put him anywhere just yet.
"He's 59.5kg today so he's basically got to run in open company."
The Hastings trainer felt the cup race probably didn't suit Shezgorgeous.
"They steadied in the middle stages and left her a little flat-footed just before they sprinted for the corner and, as a result, she had a fair bit to do on a firmer ground," he said, adding he and jockey Rosie Myers were both pleased.
"She [the horse] perhaps indicated she wants to go 1600m but on a softer track."
It was Tinsley's benefit yesterday with four winners.
"I just had four right horses underneath me who were fit and ready to win in the right races, that's all," he said modestly although he wasn't in the Auckland mix.
"Anytime you ride four winners it's good although the cup would have been better. It's not a big meeting but it's New Year and the first day so it makes it extra special," said the 39-year-old from Palmerston North.
The turnout thrilled HB Racing general manager Jason Fleming. "It was outstanding, the weather played a part and the crowd was enormous," Fleming said, describing the public holiday as a quintessential Bay day.
It was a key day with a picnic-like atmosphere although there was "some pressure on the systems but you can only do what you can do".
"All the indicators were up so the tote and gate revenues are also up so we're very happy from a club's perspective because you can only do what you can do."
The Hastings Cup was vital for horses leading up to major races each new year despite the small stake although he hadn't seen the funding model yet.
"The riches might not be there today but they'll come."
Reflecting on Campbell's concern that the prizemoney has been shrinking each year for the past four years, Fleming said from this year there would be incremental increases.
"It's not going to make an enormous difference but it'll make the returns to owners better," he said, emphasising the event here is a subsidiary one to the Auckland meeting yesterday which was offering $200,000 for the feature race and four $100,000 ones in a 10-race programme.
He did think, though, the Hastings Cup could bounce back to $20,000.
