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. Promising three-year-old Supreme Class returned to winning form and made amends for a costly last-start failure when leading all the way to defeat Gung Ho but the colt will have to mend his waywardness if he's to progress to better class races. The Redoute's Choice colt will get another chance to win in Class Three after his rating was increased nine points to 79 following the victory but he will need to race straighter to continue his march to the top. Supreme Class wanted to lay out badly in the final stages but still had too much class for his rivals. He has untapped potential and given it was only his fifth start, and his first at 1,400m, there is sure to be plenty of improvement to come. Dansolde returned to his best with a sound win over Pacific Alliance and although the four-year-old's two wins have been over 1,600m, he will eventually make into a capable stayer. The Danasinga gelding, a half brother to New Zealand Derby winner Great Command, hasn't excelled when stepped over staying trips but he is becoming more professional and seasoned with each run. Once he learns to switch off a bit better in his races, he will be able to negotiate longer distances, which will open up more avenues for trainer Paul O'Sullivan.
