Lawrie Fownes had a couple of eyecatchers on Saturday's card at Happy Valley, where the trying conditions played a significant role in the results as it looked near-impossible to make ground from back in the field.
Fownes' debutant Champion Boy shaped with more promise than he had been indicating in his work or trials (race 227). The son of Woodborough clearly found 1,000 metres on the short side but was hitting the line with plenty of purpose in the concluding stages. He should improve in every department following that effort and can be followed with a degree of confidence when he steps up to 1,200 metres or further.
Stablemate Konrad The Great, who went off at odds over 99-1, was another to note as he made steady headway in the home straight to finish fifth behind One Step Ahead (race 228). The Irish import has taken a little time to acclimatise and, considering he was having only his third local start, he may be worth keeping safe should he step up to 1,400 metres or further. The effort of runner-up My Chief was praiseworthy, as he was one of the few horses all day who managed to make ground from well back on the home turn.
Andy Leung Ting-wah's team have started to hit their straps recently and the latest proof came with Watch Me Win's impressive victory (race 225). The application of blinkers clearly made all the difference as he travelled very strongly throughout before leaving his rivals in his wake when Basil Marcus asked him for an effort. Handicapper Ciaran Kennelly was obviously taken with the performance as well, raising him 13 points in the ratings, but even so it would be no surprise to see him win again.
Brian Kan Ping-chee's Second Opinion has finally fallen to a mark where he can prove competitive, but the main factor influencing his better performance on the weekend was the step up to 1,800 metres (race 222). The son of St Jude was taking ground off Super Elite with every stride, and now that he has put two solid performances together he can be followed over a similar trip next time. He also leaves the impression that he would have no trouble in handling 2,000 metres or further.
John Size's new recruit Darwin never loomed as a serious threat in his first start for his new trainer as he was simply outpaced over 1,000 metres, but he still battled on resolutely to finish fourth behind Lombard (race 221). With likely improvement to come out of this run, he will be much more of a threat over 1,200 metres or further next time.