TOP apprentice hope Stanley K. M. Chin doubled his score from all of last season in one fell swoop at Happy Valley last night when skilfully bringing home an 18-1 double for Ivan Allan. Chin, formally attached to Eddie K. C. Lo, showed a keen sense of pace to make virtually all the running on Allan's Kevpal and Jade Signet in the first and third events. The double could well be a forerunner of things to come as Chin has applied in the past to the Jockey Club to have his indentures transferred to Allan, only to be refused. It is easy to understand his application. He was getting precious few opportunities last season from Lo. When stable jockey Brent Thomson wasn't riding, he wasn't even the third choice, let alone the second. Tony Cruz and the now retired Dennis C. H. Yipwere legged up in front of him. Yet he is arguably the best chance of one of the young local riders following in the footsteps of Cruz. Last night Chin had Kevpal smartly away in the opener to win convincingly by 23/4 lengths from Everbright who ran home strongly for second. This was a much-improved effort from Kevpal who could win again over his favoured 1,235-metre trip. It may also pay dividends to keep an eye on John Moore's High Reward and Wong Tang-ping's Treasure out of this contest. They finished a long way behind but not before staying on well. Jade Signet's battling half-length victory over Call Me Horse in the third more a test of Chin's riding skills. He met that challenge square on, manoeuvring Jade Signet from barrier seven to the rails over the tricky 1,235-metre course to lead Call Me Horse. This may well have made the crucial difference between victory and defeat. The double also underlined that Allan, a former multiple champion trainer of Malaysia and Singapore, is going to play a very big role in this season's championship. He has already sent out three winners yet his string's true potential still remains latent. Lawrie Fownes strengthened his position at the head of the standings with an excellent training performance to win the sixth with problem-horse Irene's Pet. The four-year-old had been off the course since last January with leg trouble, hence his odds of 40-1. Allan's Hercules, a good-looking son of Centaine, shaped with more promise than his finishing position suggests in this race and is likely to improve. Jackie C. K. Tse, successful on Irene's Pet, so nearly made it two when Jewellery Star failed by the shortest of short heads to catch Best One in the last. ''So unlucky,'' sighed Tse as he left the course. ''This horse has improved a lot and was suited by the mile.'' Tony Cruz kept himself in the frame when taking the second on veteran King's Flair who was getting Geoff Lane off the mark for the season. Second-placed Diablo spoiled his chance by hanging throughout. Triple champion trainer John Moore kept his tally ticking over nicely when Shun Wah Treasure made all under Johnny Marshall to hold Mehboob II in the sixth. Peter Ng Bik-kuen was another to open his score for the season when his well-handicapped Valley specialist Goodcape Treasure made all to land a healthy touch in the fourth. Goodcape Treasure opened at 12-1, touched 14-1 but then the money came and he was forced into 9-1. He beat Best Runner who was confirming the progress he made at the end of last season.
