THERE may only be four meetings left following last night's Sha Tin meeting but Patrick Biancone and Ivan Allan are working their intended runners just as hard as ever. Yesterday their teams dominated the early-morning trackwork session with first Biancone's impressing and then Allan's striking back. Biancone's Lyphard's Lad has been the centre of a bit of controversy, much more so than the normal Class Five performer.
First of all he tested positive to the prohibited substance Sputolosin and helped to spark the biggest drugs probe in the territory's history of professional racing. And then he was the recipient of an unusually incompetent ride from the generally much improved apprentice Sherie Kong, which led to a salutory six-meeting suspension. That ride came in a local riders' contest where Lyphard's Lad flew home from the rear behind Sky Walker. It was a run which had future winner written all over it, and yesterday Lyphard's Lad's work served to underline that impression. Biancone sent him out with his grey, Well Done, who is himself a good worker.
There was nothing between them on the line with Lyphard's Lad finishing his work off very strongly. The Frenchman's Powernamic was another to go into the notebook on his last start when making his debut in the 1,400-metre event won by Lynx back at the beginning of the month. Powernamic is an imposing type, bordering on the massive and given his physical presence it has to be thought he would have needed that outing. Yesterday it was noticeable that he has tightened up in condition and sharpened up mentally as a result of that debut effort when he stormed home down the centre of the track. Biancone worked him with Helene Treasure yesterday and that one is another who can go along at a fair clip in the mornings. Yet Powernamic matched him virtually stride for stride to the line and is worth following not just to the end of the season, but next time round as well.
He should be marked down as one likely to make considerable progress over his next half a dozen runs or so. It was also hard not to be impressed by Lake Tahoe who appeared to have the edge over Got It Made yesterday morning. Lake Tahoe has been working well for the last couple of months but has yet to convert that good work into a win. So the fact has to be confronted that he could be one of those dreaded trackwork deceivers. But it could also be worth giving Lake Tahoe more time to acclimatise. He could improve next season when sent out over farther than a mile. Allan makes no effort whatsoever to hide his horses in the morning, kitting them out in splendid red bandages and just about red everything.
But you have to stay very late as his first lot rarely appears much before 6.45 am, the same time that most other stables are finishing. Yesterday Allan's Double Eightysix put in a really fluent piece, confirming views that this Australian import is a lot better than the form he has shown so far. This was the third time in the last fortnight that Double Eightysix has caught the eye in his trackwork and he is another with a bright future. Allan's Active Way was backed as if defeat wasn't on the agenda at Happy Valley last time and, come the post, it wasn't. But for much of the way the cramped odds looked very much in the balance and it was down to the brilliant Basil Marcus winning the bob of the heads battle with Majullah Superstar that Active Way obliged. Since then Active Way appears to have improved and yesterday he put in his best work of the season when sprinting home alongside none other than Quick Action.
