Eddie Lo is one of the quiet achievers in Hong Kong, but he always seems to pick up a useful juvenile each season, and that could well be the case again with his unraced gelding Premier Speed. The son of Al Akbar has been catching the eye in his work in recent weeks and he certainly moved with some promise in his barrier trial on the turf last week. Simon Yim never let him off the bridle at any stage and, while the heat was run in a rather moderate time, it was still an impressive piece of work. He appears to have plenty of early dash and could be one to keep safe in the future.
Yim is currently sidelined due to suspension, but there could be more than a couple of winners waiting for him on his return if recent trials are any guide. Derek Cruz's Celebration is another who has been working with some zest recently and he hit the line quite strongly under Yim in his turf trial last week. He has been handled quite patiently by Cruz, who has a particularly nice batch of juveniles this season.
Francis Lui Kin-wai's Floral Dancer is a well-bred son of Danehill and Yim never pressured the talented sort at any stage in his trial last week. He is an International Sale griffin from last year and, while he has clearly needed time and has suffered from the odd setback, he is progressing through his work stylishly and could be one to keep a close watch on.
Peter Ho has quite a number of griffins under his care this season and Chariot Of Wei Hai could be one of those to keep safe when he first appears. The son of Bahamian Bounty may be out soon, with the first griffin event only a couple of weeks away, and he has displayed a good deal of zest in his work. Jimmy Ting was aboard in the trial and settled the colt in midfield before allowing him to lengthen in the final quarter.
In other work, David Hayes' Crocker is picking up in his condition all the time, and following a couple of tidy trials he was given a solid 800-metre gallop by Dwayne Dunn on Monday. He clocked a steady 48 seconds, cruising home in a hard-held 23.8 seconds. Hayes has left no stone unturned in his preparation and he will be absolutely spot on for his local debut.
Andy Leung Ting-wah's Choice And Chance has always been a shade flattering in his work, but the lightly-raced sort may have improved even further based on his 1,200-metre gallop under Eric Legrix on the all-weather on Monday. The son of Supremo breezed home in the final quarter in 23.5 seconds and is working far better than his current rating suggests.