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SCMP Reporter

SUPPORTERS of the Lawrie Fownes camp look set for a prolific end to the season given the way a number of them worked yesterday.

    Centurion Trophy runner-up China Cruise has trained on particularly well.

  He worked like a real quality performer yesterday morning when he toyed with Enthusiasm and he was also noted galloping all over his rivals in a recent trial.

  China Cruise is on the reserve list for Saturday night's meeting and will be hard to beat should he get a run.

  Fownes' Aashiq also looks to be bubbling the way he accelerated clear of Innovation when the button was pressed before Innovation was allowed to close again on the line in a very strong piece up the straight.

  Super Hero has been a hard horse to follow over the past few seasons but he has thrived since a recent move to Fownes and could go well at big odds should he encounter a rain-affected track.

  Battle lines were drawn yesterday for Saturday's feature Sha Tin Vase with all the main protagonists working in fine style.

  Gary Ng Ting-keung's Sure Win King is heavily favoured by the weights and he pleased big-race jockey Greg Childs as they pulled a length or so clear of leading Class One sprinter, Mount Hansen.

  The doubt over Sure Win King could be the trip but in the patient Childs he has the right jockey to help him last the distance.

  Neville Begg's Auto-Matching had something to spare over stablemate and good worker, Magic Joy, as they were asked to quicken up from the top of the straight.

  Auto-Matching appears to have trained on well since the weight stopped him when second to Easy Fit last time out.

  Patrick Biancone has trained Hong Kong Supreme for the race and he worked exceptionally well with Noble Dancer.

  The main problem for Hong Kong Supreme is that he is worse off at the weights with the likes of Sure Win King, Electric Flash and Auto-Matching compared to if this feature event were a handicap.

  Electric Flash trialled well at the end of last week.

  There was also one trial on the all-weather surface. It was won in facile style by Derek Cruz's top Class One performer Wind Dancer who has had one race back over an inadequate 1,235 metres since suffering a bleeding attack earlier in the season.

  But the horse to follow from this trial is Neville Begg's Chief Commander.

  Begg has collected a very promising team of horses around himself for next season and Chief Commander should be top of any list of horses to follow.

  Chief Commander is very well bred, being by Chief's Crown who is the sire of recent English 2,000 Guineas runner-up Grand Lodge, while his second dam is the dam of Shaadi who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Group One St James' Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

  Lance O'Sullivan kept Chief Commander under a strong hold all the way but even so it was impossible to miss this one's potential.

  This was the second time he has trialled in outstanding fashion and he looks a very exciting prospect indeed.

  There was also a much improved trial from Stephen Leung's Congratulations who is by Air De France, the sire of the useful Australian stayer, Air Seattle.

  Congratulations was showing far more speed than in a previous trial and it is invariably a very good sign when an unraced horse improves so markedly from his first to his second trial.



Flurry on cards for Fownes followers