Red Star all class with Marshall up
RED STAR went firmly into the memory banks as a likely future winner following an ideal barrier trial win in the second of two 1,150-metre heats on the all-weather track at Sha Tin yesterday.
Chris Cheung Ting-pong's gelding was re-united with Johnny Marshall, with whom he got on so well last season, and it would have been hard to imagine a more impressive display.
He did it at both ends of his trial. He showed really good speed and then he showed plenty of tenacity to surge clear to the line.
And this second heat was no pushover, particularly when racing so strongly for 1,150 metres. If there was any weakness in Red Star it would almost certainly have been exposed given the intensity of pressure applied throughout this trial and the distance it was run over.
Marshall, who has been enjoying a great start to his tenure as stable jockey to John Moore and is riding with confidence aplenty, sent the speedy Red Star straight to the front.
But he was joined from the off by the Tony Cruz-ridden Namjong Again, who is rated a good few pounds above him, and by Tony P. H. Chan's speedy equitrack performer, Mascot Land.
The latter could only stay with them for the first 400 metres before dropping back and eventually finishing at the wrong end of his field. He is no where near the force he was when under Patrick Biancone's guidance. The master French trainer has probablyhad extracted the best from him and he looks one to avoid.
As Mascot Land weakened, Red Star and Namjong Again pulled steadily clear of the others.
But with 200 metres to run the effort of keeping with Red Star was too much for Namjong Again and he, too, began to knock up.
In contrast, Red Star showed not one iota of weakeness and hit the line very hard.
Last season he was a good 1,400-metre winner in Class Three from Iron Horse - form that has worked out well. He also ran two highly creditable seconds to Mustang over 1,400 metres and to Sky Horse over a mile when he didn't really see out the trip.
He is handicapped to start this campaign from a mark of 65 in Class Three and it is very tempting to suggest that he has never gone better.
Wong Tang-ping's stayer, Amazing Grace, kept on well from the rear of this field and is another who seems to be working right on the top of his form.
Ivan Allan trialled Jharna, one of his unraced private purchase griffins from last season, in this heat. Jharna raced in mid-division throughout, showing enough to warrant following at trackwork but not enough to suggest a victory is imminent.
A poor first heat also went Chris Cheung's way, this time to his Class Six performer, Highway Patrol.
First time out Highway Patrol stayed on with some hope for the future behind Auto Focus. He is very well handicapped on his best form of last season and is one to note in forthcoming events in the bottom grade.
