Mines may spark rich vein of form for Leung
Andy Leung Ting-wah is gearing up his stable for an onslaught of winners judging by the way his horses have performed in barrier trials and yesterday was no exception, with Kimberley Mines particularly catching the eye as he won the second of three heats down the straight 1,000 metres at Sha Tin.
The South African-bred son of Western Winter travelled ominously well in the middle of the pack before pulling his way to the front to win by a slim margin. Leung trained the one-two in the heat with Dragon Horse finishing second under Shane Dye after racing prominently throughout. The unraced son of Hula Chief showed good early speed.
Derek Cruz's unraced Active Account hit the line strongly under Robbie Fradd after looking a touch green in the early stages of the trial. He responded well under urging from Fradd and, considering it was his first trial, there should be plenty of improvement to come. Much the same can be said for Chiu Chow Hero, who was never pressured at any stage by Steven King.
Leung also took the third heat with River Of China, who recorded the quickest time of the morning. He was well beaten on his debut but has clearly made significant progress since then and looked on good terms. There did not appear to be many in behind worth noting at this stage, with the exception of Francis Lui Kin-wai's New Face. The son of Kaapstad showed good early dash and looks as though he will benefit more than most from the outing. He still looks a fraction on the big side and his fitness level is bound to increase after the trial.
Lui's On The Tee won the first heat after leading for most of the way under John Egan. It was a fair piece of work, but John Moore's Felicity was far more impressive in finishing second. Eric Saint-Martin never pressured the son of Hennessy, who coasted to the line with plenty in hand. Leung had another worth noting in Night Hunter II, who was never given any rein by Eric Legrix. While the trial was run in moderate time, the son of Anabaa showed plenty of potential and is worth keeping safe when he first appears. Derek Cruz's Celebration was outpaced in the early stages but responded in a positive manner when asked for an effort by Simon Yim in the concluding stages.
Geoff Lane won the only all-weather trial of the morning with Bruin Supreme, who was pushed out by Basil Marcus to gain the upper hand close home. It was a fair trial considering his rating, but John Size's recent recruit Run And Win was far more impressive in second. It was by far and away his best trial so far this season and he looks at his peak now.
Lane's progressive Hokkien All has had his share of problems but the talented sort, who has won two of his three starts, appears on the road to further success after a pleasing trial. Legrix was not hard on him and he is well worth following providing he can stay sound.
ONES TO NOTE: Kimberley Mines, Felicity, Night Hunter II.
YESTERDAY'S SHA TIN TRIAL RESULTS
First trial _ 1,000m (turf): 1, ON THE TEE (J. Egan); 2, Felicity (E. St-Martin); 3, Speed Fire (S. King). Others (in finishing order): Celebration, Night Hunter II, Sunshine Bamboo, Golden Gong, High Potential, Ganbatte. Time: 1:01.3. Distances: .75 length, .5 length. Winner trained by Francis Lui Kin-wai.
Second trial _ 1,000m (turf): 1, KIMBERLEY MINES (A. Marcus); 2, Dragon Horse (R. S. Dye); 3, Horoscope (W. C. Marwing). Others (in finishing order): Goldie, Chiu Chow Hero, Active Account, Tiger Dan, Leprechaun Too, Good Brother, Money King. Time: 1:01.0. Distances: Neck, Neck. Winner trained by Andy Leung Ting-wah.
Third trial - 1,000m (turf): 1, RIVER OF CHINA (A. Marcus); 2, New Face (R. S. Dye); 3, Multiperfection (R. Fradd). Others (in finishing order): Not Guilty, Floral Dancer, Over Subscribe, Swaggie, Great Dragon, Mr Beautiful, Mr Beautiful. Time: 0:59.7. Distances: 2.5 lengths, .75 length. Winner trained by Andy Leung Ting-wah.
Fourth trial - 1,050m (dirt): 1, BRUIN SUPREME (B. Marcus); 2, Run And Win (R. S. Dye); 3, Hokkien All (E. Legrix). Others (in finishing order): Mighty And Gold, Projectstar, Golden Choice, Open Treasure, Cash, Common Place, Cyber Wisdom, Eternal Start. Time: 1:03.2. Distances: .75 length, .5 length. Winner trained by Geoff Lane.
