Leading Derby contender Victory Star came through his last really serious piece of work prior to Sunday's Blue Riband event with flying colours at a rain-soaked Sha Tin yesterday morning.
The David Oughton-trained English import worked a solid 1,400 metres on the main grass track and was always shading his stablemate, Gaylord, who can work along a bit himself. The farther they went, the better Victory Star appeared to be travelling for Mick Kinane, his big-race jockey who likes nothing more than the ultra-competitive atmosphere of Derby day.
Oughton has already gone on record to say that he is very pleased with Victory Star's Derby preparation and there was nothing in yesterday's work to suggest otherwise. John Moore's Derby outsiders Winning Lad, who is unlikely to get a run, and We Know When, worked together on the grass. Winning Lad went the better of the pair, but then he is a noted worker. Stephen Leung's improving Indigenous, likely to be ridden by Philip Robinson in the Derby, was another to gallop on the grass.
He went very smoothly and has improved from race to race and gallop to gallop. It is not inconceivable that he could be the surprise package on Sunday and run a place at huge odds. Staying with the Derby, Tony P. H. Chan's outside hope, Willie Way, passed his mandatory stalls test and can now take his place in the field. He jumped with stablemates, Honey Wind and Charming Talker in a private test after the running of two dirt trials and was basically given a very easy time of it by apprentice Raymond Tam.
Willie Way, fourth to Smart Kid in the Derby Trial, was forced to pass a barrier trial after playing up and having to be withdrawn at the gates on vet's grounds prior to the final event at last Wednesday night's Happy Valley meeting. In the two trials, David Hill's Class One sprinter Debonair made all in the opening heat to record a rare barrier trial win for jockey Robinson.
They usually have to send out a search party to find the astute English rider in these barrier trial sessions yet here he was turning the trial form book upside down by winning one. Touchwood ran on well for second place under Basil Marcus and it could be that trainer Tony Cruz is winning the battle with this American import who has undoubted ability, but hasn't been showing it in his races.