Derek Cruz's Lucky Meanings was the one to note from yesterday's only barrier trial at Sha Tin as he finished a close second to Danzighill. The 1,050-metre all-weather heat was run at a decent tempo and the 31-rated Lucky Meanings was given a serious workout by Eric Legrix.
The son of Desert Style has only had nine race starts, and is yet to win, but judging by the way he finished off this trial, it may not be too long before the gelding shrugs off his maiden status. It certainly would be worth following him on the all-weather, where he is yet to run, as he clearly displays a liking for the surface.
It was no surprise that Tony Cruz's Danzighill won the heat, given his far superior rating (114), and he was really just going through the motions.
There was quite a good trial from Ricky Yiu Poon-fie's Daring Steed, who has not raced since December. He led for most of the way before fading into third as his condition gave way. He looks as though he will improve in fitness quite substantially from yesterday's heat, and it was a fair effort under the circumstances.
There were four griffins in the trial, all of whom are yet to race. The most promising at this stage looks to be Alex Wong Siu-tan's High Hill Forest, who is a nicely bred son of Danehill. He still looks green but, after being given time to find his feet early in the trial, Douglas Whyte let him stride along in the concluding stages and he made up some late ground.
Eddie Lo's International Sale griffin Hurry Up, a well-built son of Thunder Gulch, was slowly away and took some time to tack on to the leading bunch. He appears to have some potential, although he would not be a betting proposition at this stage.