Trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai has had great success with the Encosta De Lago breed in the past and lightly raced youngster Packing De Lago is on the right track to maintaining the strong association after a positive performance in the Class Four Lucky Star Handicap (1,400m) at Sha Tin.
Packing De Lago stepped out twice over 1,200m at Sha Tin - struggling off a midfield run near the inside after a slow break in his debut on October 28 behind exciting Little Cow before giving ground after a handy run with cover last month to Berlinski.
The four-year-old was ridden along on Tuesday after breaking mid-pack to settle three back and one off the fence, came under pressure approaching the final bend but kept grinding away to finish fourth - 13/4 lengths behind Sight Lover.
Among his past achievements with Encosta De Lago, Yiu has been able to extract the best out of Sacred Kingdom (17 wins, including six Group Ones), Ultra Fantasy (four wins, including a Group One success in Japan), Legend Express (four wins), Rely On Me (two wins) and Super Carded (one win) from eight other performers.
Encosta De Lago is an accomplished international stallion by Danehill, who was a three-timer winner, and has been a precocious sire in Hong Kong - fathering a total of 38 winners from up to 2,200m at both courses.
On the bottom of his pedigree, Packing De Lago's dam is Shirley Heights mare Push A Venture - placed once over 1,400m from nine starts in Britain - but is a half-sister to the dam of Rock Of Gibraltar, a successful stallion and a Irish 2000-English 2000 Guineas winner, and has herself produced six winners.
With strong bloodlines, Packing De Lago should continue the flow of winners for owner Raymond Lee Man-chun, who has successfully campaigned the likes of Packing OK, a double Group Three winner, and Packing Angel, an eight-time winner.
