No-one seems to doubt that it's only be a matter of time before Joyful Winner claims his first Group race following his third consecutive brilliant win in the HSBC Premier Cup at Sha Tin, but runner-up Art Trader may be the sleeper in John Moore's stable of stars.
The British private purchase has been a substantial improver this season and on his terrific effort on Sunday, there may also be a feature race within his grasp in the coming months.
Art Trader showed he was well above average with two brilliant wins earlier in the season at Happy Valley, with the impressive part of the victories being his superior finishing speed.
After two below-par efforts, the gelding was given a freshen up and although beaten, the performance showed that he has a very bright future. Apprentice Alex Lai Hoi-wing attempted to get a break on Joyful Winner when making his run early in the straight and the tactics looked like paying off before he was nailed right on the line.
His effort to go so close after making such a sustained run was terrific and he will only get better as the races get a bit longer.
Bowman's Crossing's effort in finishing third was also full of merit and the Caspar Fownes-trained gelding should be able to get away with a race before the season is out.
The seven-year-old settled at the tail of the field, made his run around all rivals before hitting the line strongly to be beaten just over a length. Although the Dolphin Street gelding hasn't managed a win since for close to three years, he is very reliable when kept on the fresh side.