Lucky Quality shows there's still plenty in tank for final flourish
Speed bomb Lucky Quality threw down the gauntlet to his rivals on Sunday with another dazzling all-weather trial performance last Tuesday. The brilliant son of Elusive Quality arrogantly won the opening heat by 153/4 lengths - the biggest winning margin at the trials for at least six years.
Lucky Quality could boast both of the key quality indicators - margin and time. His winning time of 1:01.06 was the quickest he had clocked in any of his trial wins this season and it looks like there's plenty of gas still in the tank to end the term on a high.
Howard Cheng Yue-tin had the luxury of steering the four-year-old since flamboyant Frenchman Olivier Doleuze is sidelined with an ankle injury.
Lucky Quality gave his rivals - including last season's Hong Kong Derby winner Helene Mascot - a galloping lesson as he jumped straight to the front and ran his usual routine of 'catch me if you can'.
Lucky Quality is now a 111 rater, having earned a rapid elevation up the handicap after brilliant all-weather track wins (four), plus one at the opening meeting on September 15 on the turf. Since he's no longer eligible for any races on his preferred dirt surface, trainer Me Tsui Yu-sak has no option but to enter him in Sunday's Class One event against the likes of Willing Storm and company.
Since returning from his disappointing Group One Dubai Golden Shaheen assault at the end of March, Lucky Quality clashed with Hong Kong's best turf sprinters last month in a Group Three handicap at 1,200 metres. It was a run that can be overlooked as he never handled the rain-affected track.
Former star sprinter Medic Power trialled on the same morning and will make his debut for the Tony Cruz stable on the weekend.
The five-year-old is struggling to recapture his form since suffering a heart irregularity in November 2007 when prepared by Paul O'Sullivan.
Medic Power has had two trials since switching yards last month. He trialled strongly in the first heat on June 2, and his second trial effort behind Super Family - who also has an entry on Sunday over 1,600m race - had merit as he was always travelling strongly on the bridle.
