Aussie's Handover keeps spirits high

These are heady days for long-serving Australian trainer Bruce Hutchison for whom the champagne flowed freely after last Wednesday night's Valley double.

And the way his team trialled down the 1,000-metre chute at Sha Tin yesterday, the white-haired mentor could be entering jeroboam country.

Hutchison's Handover, who created a good impression as a griffin last term, was the first to go into the notebook despite running ninth of 11 in the first heat.

Handover was surrounded by Class One and Two gallopers and appeared to be looked after in the run by Grant Cooksley.

Handover had looked pretty trim and ready to go well on his initial outings in his trackwork prior to this trial which served to underline these impressions.

The David Hayes-trained Muchea ran fourth to Alf in this opening trial, having been held up at the rear for much of the way.

He made fair ground but then so he should have at the ratings as he's rated 107 in Class One. Muchea's work prior to this had been nothing special so it was good to see him pick up when asked.