Quick Action on track to step up

IVAN Allan's star private purchase griffin, Quick Action, showed that he is ready to make the transition to handicap company with an impressive piece of work at Sha Tin yesterday morning.

It was an important session for the champion-trainer elect and Quick Action was out in company with Jharna who is currently rated in Class Two after a hat-trick of wins earlier in the season.

Jharna is habitually a good worker so should be a reliable yardstick to Quick Action's condition.

Indeed, only a few days ago Jharna was himself going as well as another of Allan's very good worker, Grand Warrior.

Yesterday Basil Marcus was on Quick Action as he and Jharna were asked to sprint home over their last 400 metres in a typical Allan piece of work.

It was Quick Action who was always going the better of the pair as they clocked a very pleasing final section in 22.0 seconds.

Quick Action has won both his griffin starts. He could have won by six lengths or more down the straight and would have done but for being eased but he had to be shaken up by Marcus to beat Faisca last time.

That form has been a little patchy and Allan has readily admitted that he would liked to have seen his son of Alzao win with a little more authority.

Maybe he was only doing the minimum necessary and the question of how good he will eventually be is somewhat academic at this stage.

What is pertinent is that he has been rated to towards the top of Class Three and his form and his trackwork suggest that he is plenty good enough to be backed for another win.

On the grass, Allan's Grand Warrior came home a couple of lengths to the good of Stellar Express, as he should have done given their relative handicap ratings.

It actually wasn't too bad a piece from Stellar Express who is very much a staying type who should get better and better as he is sent out over farther and farther.

Allan's Horse Supreme is holding his form well while Explorer is making progress as he is brought along slowly following a bleeding attack last time out.

Pinch The Devil appeared to have the edge over All-Winners and Galaxy in their workout with Galaxy hard ridden and still taking time to acclimatise, despite a better effort in a recent Valley barrier trial.

In other work yesterday Derek Cruz's Leprechaun went markedly better than stablemate New Leaf. Leprechaun has also caught the eye in a couple of trials and should be given plenty of respect if he races at Sha Tin at the weekend.

There were also two trials on the all-weather track though nothing was extended in running.

From a betting point of view, Tony P.H. Chan's griffin, Daiquiri, went well behind John Moore's sprint star, Happy Money, in the second event.

The first heat was won by Peter Ng Bik-kuen's Rambo but it would be prejudicial to your finances to back him come race day.

Peter Tse Yan-sid's stable star Bayview Boy went fluently in this heat with David Hill's Red Ruffian jumping much better than when disappointing in the ATV cup.