The engrossing trainers' championship race has devolved into a four-man game of musical chairs at this late stage but, for the second time this week, all four contenders still had somewhere to sit when the melody halted at Sha Tin yesterday.
At Happy Valley last Wednesday, it was one win apiece for Dennis Yip Chor-hong, Tony Cruz, John Size and Caspar Fownes, and a repeat on Sunday meant that three-win leader Yip is still stonewalling his way to a first title.
All four trainers had prospects of the multiple win day that could break the spell and put someone out of the race or confirm a winner, particularly Size. But it simply didn't happen, with Size the last to strike, snatching only the victory of Dr Good Habit from a turnout of several warm favourites.
Yip landed K-Moochi in the second race, with the lower-grade sprinter's victory important not only for keeping his trainer's lead in the title race but offering beleaguered jockey Terry Wong Chi-wai some ammunition for his show cause hearing. Wong's licence is under pressure after only two wins all term and a string of suspensions, prior to yesterday, see him required to make his case before the licensing committee. But Wong, formerly apprenticed to Yip's stable, did everything right on K-Moochi as he bowled to the front on the notoriously tricky ride and dictated the race.
The gelding himself didn't quite do everything right but he staved off Dining Star to bring up a third success for both himself and Wong.
"He was a difficult horse to settle before but you can see he's relaxing better now and I even think he might get further than 1,200m next year," said Yip.
A very brief shower of rain prefaced the third event before Fownes hit back with Fiery Raider in the Class Five race, and the trainer was as mystified as anyone else with the 43-1 victory.
"He's been better on the dirt, so maybe the rain helped him," Fownes said.
It was the turn of Tony Cruz in the day's feature sprint, with California Bounty holding out Fownes-trained Windicator Star over the last 200m to score, then Dr Good Habit (Douglas Whyte) again stamped himself a quality prospect for the coming season with his second win in 11 days and his third from four runs overall.
"I think he must have been a bit too fresh last week, because he didn't settle with me the way he did today," Whyte said. "He's indicating he's a proper racehorse.
"With the pace on today, I was able to slot in wherever he felt comfortable and he travelled well, and then within five or six strides turning into the straight he just dropped them for dead and was on his way. He gave me a good feel the other day but an even better one today. He's very exciting."
And so we go back to Happy Valley midweek with just 47 races to run. Yip leads still Cruz by three, a further one to Size and Fownes sits two more astern, six off the lead and perhaps the one of the four who might be without a chair when the music stops next time.
