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Chevalier King can keep Moore's tally ticking over

The John Moore stable is firing on all cylinders and Chevalier King should keep the ball rolling, despite a big weight, in the Tung Wah Group Of Hospitals 140th Anniversary Cup (1,200m) at Happy Valley tonight.

Moore's team might not have won all the races anticipated last weekend, but the two wins that did come their way took the yard to joint lead on the championship table with Caspar Fownes and underlined the momentum Moore has at present.

The two top stables will face off in the feature at the city course, with Chevalier King (Darren Beadman) opposed by the Fownes-trained Topping Light (Olivier Doleuze), who is sure to be well fancied.

Chevalier King made a great impression as a three-year-old last season with three wins from his 11 starts and his return showed he has lost nothing with the break.

Going forward early from inside draw over 1,000m, Chevalier King was made to do plenty of work in the early and middle stages but gave a solid kick in the straight before succumbing in the final 100m to the talented, lightly weighted three-year-old Turbo King.

He should have tightened up for that run, has drawn inside and has Beadman taking over from Eddie Lai Wai-ming, so there are plenty of pluses for Chevalier King.

The question he has to answer is whether he can stretch his abilities to 1,200m.

Chevalier King has been tried only twice at that distance, overracing on debut at Sha Tin, then again fighting the rider when he had a tough, wide run at Happy Valley.

So the balance of his form, and all the best of it, has been at 1,000m but Chevalier King's problems looked the manifestation of his inexperience last season rather than a vice, so the past few months may have seen him grow out of those habits.

Topping Light had the tempo favouring him more than Chevalier King when he was a length behind him over the 1,000m first-up, but there are no such concerns with 1,200m for Fownes' runner.

Where both are vulnerable is under their big handicaps, which puts Five Clubs (Brett Prebble) into the race as a chance with 119 pounds. The slow tempo on the dirt gave him no chance last time out, but his first two efforts this season were sound and he remains lightly raced.

Moore to come

John Moore is training winners at will and is now equal with Caspar Fownes in premiership with this many winners: 22

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