Scintillation still a strong force to reckon with despite long absence

Multiple Group One winner Scintillation added a generous touch of class to Friday's barrier trials at Sha Tin and performed like the superior galloper he is with a close third in the opening heat.

Scintillation, ridden by Eric Saint-Martin, bounced straight to the front in the 1,200 metres all-weather track trial and effortlessly ran through his first 800m in 46.7 seconds.

The son of champion sire Danehill was kept firmly on the bridle by the Frenchman in the final 200m while Felix Coetzee asked for a full effort from winner Agility, who forged clear under riding to score by ? lengths. Super Traveller gained second right on the line in a tight decision over Scintillation.

The winning time of 1:11.0 was the fastest of the morning, a full second quicker than Billion (Howard Cheng Yue-tin) took in winning the second heat.

Scintillation has not raced since February when winning the Group One Centenary Sprint Cup over the straight 1,000m course at Sha Tin. Remembering that the gelding had suffered a bleeding attack the previous year, trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing chose to miss the second and third legs of the sprinters' triple crown in March and April so as to not put Scintillation under the sort of pressure that might cause a recurrence of the haemorrhaging.

Although Scintillation is now seven years old, he moved with the freedom and fluency of a young horse on Friday and will give a big account in anything he contests. He's a proven weight carrier and can win either in handicap or under set-weight conditions.

Agility is a Class One horse, whose specialty is over 1,800m and although he's won on firm ground, he's an even better horse when he can get his toe into the track.