Trainer Michael Chang Chun-wai has had to spend a bit more time getting King's Folks acclimatised after an earlier injury, but appears from another good run to be on the verge of breaking through.
King's Folks had his start delayed last April by a right mandibular fracture (jaw fracture). He always showed ability on the training track, but never factored on race days until showing improvement in his last run at Sha Tin.
The four-year-old was hustled along early on after breaking with the field to hold a handy position in fifth and one off the rails, was held in a pocket at the 250m, balanced up with clear running at the 150m and finished willingly to snatch third - a half-length off the front-running favourite Blazing Speed and around a neck behind the fast-finishing Noble Deluxe.
King's Folks was clearly unlucky not to have won and will be among the leading chances when he next steps out.
Prior to Sunday's run, King's Folks crashed 21 points after arriving as an 85-rated runner for a maiden win over 800m at Kembla Grande in New South Wales and four placings up to a mile - two Group efforts - in Australia.
He is an Australian-bred son of Testa Rossa and Brocco mare Rocotto. Testa Rossa was an exceptional racehorse, notching 13 wins up to 1,600m - six Group Ones successes. His nine of 16 local winners have been precocious up to a mile, including Precision Magic, Master Power, Royal Pumpkin ands Strong Gain (three wins on both surfaces).
Rocotto is a daughter of the American stallion Brocco, a major winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Santa Anita Derby (G1). She is also a half-sister to the Group-winning sprinter Bel Danoro, multiple Group-placed Tanith (dam of Megabucks) and three other successful siblings up to a mile. Another interesting family member is Kenzig, who was a multiple winning sprinter.
