THE run of the night with an eye to a future winner was put in by Fortune Ring in the fifth event. He finished third to shock winner Lucky Touch but would have been even closer had not jockey Frankie F. C. Lor dropped his right rein as he fumbled for the whip in the closing stages of the race. Fortune Ring is now trained by champion trainer Ivan Allan and is going to be improved enormously by this outing. He has form in the past has been on tracks with give in the ground but the manner in which he raced last night suggests that the condition of the track may end up being largely irrelevant.

Fortune Ring looks really well placed in this company given this run and can be followed with some confidence over slightly longer than the 1,235 metres of this race. The six-year-old New Zealand import had worked reasonably going into the race but may still have been in need of the run which makes this effort so meaningful. Trainer Wong Tang-ping has had an exceptional season to date, setting a personal record with five winners in one day and there are undoubtedly more to come. Ping is known to take his time and patience has always been a virtue in the racing game. Two of his horses involved in last night's programme will bear watching in the not too distant future - Cool Killer and Super Class.

Both were involved in the first event when old-timers Active Bobo and Mr Bunny shared the honours. At long odds, they were outpaced early but came home very well and suitably placed in the near future could well be winning - or running into the quinella - still at reasonable odds. There should also be a race in maiden Bambi who may finally have discovered what racing is all about. He ran a solid second at his last start and put in a similar stout performance in the 1,235-metre fifth event last night which went to rank outsider Lucky Touch. Bambi was being brought back in distance and may well prefer just slightly longer than this to be effective.