Danny Shum Chap-shing's rising star Scintillation was the most notable entry at the Sha Tin trials yesterday, winning the first of four all-weather trials in the fastest time of the morning - 1 min 02.3 seconds.
Douglas Whyte was aboard the International Sale purchase and they led from start to finish in a sound piece of work. The Danehill son tired over the final 100 metres which is perfectly acceptable given the light preparation he has had leading up to this heat. He looks in good order but is expected to improve markedly and is on course to continue his rise through the ranks.
Caspar Fownes-trained The Duke powered home to finish second in the same trial in a positive piece of work. He is thriving at present and is going every bit as well as when winning the HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup on the opening day.
Given his significantly lower rating, Golden Care (rated 88) impressed, running on strongly alongside some top-class horses and is clearly in very good shape.
Ricky Yiu Poon-fie's Grandway Shuttle left the impression he has come out of his last run rather well by forging his way to victory in the second trial. However, Fownes' Native Language was the one that caught the eye as he burst through the pack and was doing his best work at the finish.
David Ferraris' aptly-named Gaucho, who hails from Argentina, also hit the line with plenty of enthusiasm. He is yet to make his local debut but was placed in several black type events over 1,000 metres in his country of origin. He is worth keeping a closer watch on.
There was no doubt Kalimantan was stretching out much better on his way to victory in the third heat and he has improved significantly. He looks fitter since his run at Happy Valley earlier this season, when he raced erratically in the early stages, and can be followed next time.