Thistle King shows his prowess in busy trials
Trackwatchers had a field day at Sha Tin on Tuesday with five barrier trials and few of the unraced gallopers showed how well they have progressed.
John Size and Douglas Whyte teamed up to win the third heat with promising Thistle King.
The bay gelding led from start to finish down the straight 1,000 metres on the turf winning by one length.
He travelled well for the champion jockey and displayed marked improvement from his trial on April 19.
Thistle King is heading in the right direction and Size has plenty to look forward for the future.
There was plenty to like about the effort of runner-up Century Super Star.
He was given a quiet time in the early stages by Corey Brown, but came through strongly in the final 100m and did his best work in the concluding stages.
Andy Leung Ting-wah's That's It finished third and he too had a little in reserve. He is worth watching more closely in his work.
Danny Shum Chap Shing's Chateau King Prawn clocked 2.2 seconds faster down the straight course on the way to winning the fourth heat.
It was another particularly impressive piece of work, leading from start to finish under a good hold from Robbie Fradd.
Chateau King Prawn has left the impression in his work that he is good enough to score on debut.
Sean Woods-trained Profit Hill finished second to Chateau King Prawn, and considering the pair drew well clear of their rivals, it was a solid workout.
The application of blinkers made all the difference to Almond Lee's griffin Wonderful Blessing. He was another that led all the way down the straight course and responded well to hands-and-heels riding from Brown. He is worth another chance when he next steps out. The blinkers also looked a major positive for Caspar Fownes's Hail The Storm. He was settled back in the early stages of the second trial, but came home with a strong run under Whyte and travelled far better from barrier to post with the gear change.
The opening heat was won by David Hall's Helene Momentum but Shogun (third), Art Trader (fourth) and Alinsky (sixth) were all far more impressive.
Shogun has been freshened-up by Size and has come back this preparation working better than ever. Alinsky showed good early speed before being restrained out of contention in the final 100m, but his finishing position didn't indicate how well he actually hit the line.
Meanwhile, Tony Cruz-trained Lucky Good Day maintained his impressive workout when winning the first dirt trial yesterday at Sha Tin.
Right Decision is displaying mark improvement as he finished a close third in the second heat behind winner Amicable.
ONES TO NOTE:
Thistle King, Century Super Star.
