Saturday's meeting at Sha Tin was definitely one to keep close tabs on, with quality performances throughout the afternoon.
The nine-race card kicked off with an exciting griffin performance in the 1,400 metre Arctic Ocean Plate won by Lord Of Warriors.
The official margin of victory was just half-a-length, but the Tony Cruz-trained youngster scored in little more than a canter over newcomer Good Spirit and, under 135 pounds, his bare winning time of one minute and 22.9 seconds equates to a relatively smart Topspeed rating of 69.
That level of speed figure already ranks as the best time performance seen in a griffin contest this season and from the manner of victory it is clear that neither the winning distance nor the time does Lord Of Warriors true justice.
Good Spirit recorded a highly encouraging first-up effort of 51 to run second and is one that should pay his way in the near future, while Jade Dynasty (54) improved on his debut rating of 39 and will also be winning soon.
For the record, Lord Of Warriors shares top spot for time performances achieved in griffin races with Serve And Volley, who, after two wins in griffin races, has subsequently disappointed in Class Two competition, finishing last of nine to Grandstand at the weekend.
Again, the ease of Lord Of Warriors' victory suggests he will prove more than capable making the transition when the time comes, but before we get carried away on a wave of excitement, it is also worth seeing how this season's crop of griffins compare with last season's at this stage of the campaign.