Master improver Lawrie Fownes can strike with the aptly named Top Practitioner in the eighth event on this afternoon's Sha Tin card which has something for everyone. For the purist, the feature event promises to be a cracking affair with Johan Cruyff and Oriental Express renewing their rivalry under handicap conditions in the Sha Tin Trophy. They may do well to concede the weight to Danzighill who, talking about stable changes, has blossomed since moving to Tony Cruz. For the more complex minded there's a Triple Trio jackpot of $15 million. All you have to do is find the first three, in any order, in races three, four and six. Doesn't sound that tough, does it? In actual fact there are well over 48 million possible winning combinations given there are full fields of 14 for each of the TT legs. And for those who prefer to focus on one or two horses and leave the rest well alone, then Top Practitioner could afford a decent betting opportunity. Trainer Fownes is the key here for over the past decade there has been no one better at improving horses joining them from other stables. Indeed, backing horses starting for the first or second time for the long-serving handler has been a very handy source of profit. Top Practitioner lost his way last season after moving from Patrick Biancone to Chris Cheung Ting-pong. In the meantime he dropped from a rating of 52 to one of 35 and joined Fownes' stable. He hadn't trialled that well for Fownes but his work had picked up in the week or so leading into his reappearance and he duly ran a much-improved three-quarters of a length second to Owners' Glory over the Happy Valley mile. The run was even better than it looks on paper as while the winner was getting a dream run through on the inside under the demon Douglas Whyte, Australian Club Jockey Glen Boss had no option but to take Top Practioner around the field. Since then Top Practitioner has really impressed at the track as Fownes has worked his usual oracle. It would be a surprise if the seven-year-old doesn't take a power of beating this afternoon. Top Practitioner may have most to fear from the David Hayes-trained Sweet Victory and John Moore's Boy Dragon. Sweet Victory can be rated significantly better than his first-up effort suggests as he should have finished a lot closer. He's also lightly raced and showed more than enough last season to go close in Class Five. Boy Dragon probably needed his dash down the straight behind Forever Prosperous last Friday and also showed more than enough last season to be winning in this afternoon's grade. Great Honour, poorly ridden at Happy Valley last time and much better suited by Sha Tin, could be best of the rest. Elsewhere on the card, Speedy Runner, Never Say No and Paradise Chase could dominate the Class Six third event. They are worth combining in three quinellas as well as providing the launching pad for Triple Trio attempts.
