LANCE O'Sullivan dominated yesterday's marathon barrier trial session at Sha Tin with classy victories on International Bowl and Derby heroes Winning Partners and Super Fit as well as on the distinctly useful China Cruise and Heavily Armed.
If that was not enough, O'Sullivan also went to the line swinging off Neville Begg's long-range Derby contender Auto-Matching in the sixth-heat and Begg's highly promising private purchase griffin, Chief Commander in the 10th.
O'Sullivan, the extremely popular former multiple champion jockey in New Zealand, has picked up a nucleus of mounts that other riders can only dream about. These horses read like a Who's Who of Hong Kong racing.
O'Sullivan, who will replace Mick Kinane on Winning Partners in the Chairman's Prize, brought the five-year-old through from just off the pace to hit the line very strongly, a neck to the good of an improving Carry On Winning in the fifth trial. They recorded the best overall time of the morning.
Champion River Verdon was noted doing all his best work at the finish having been held up by Johnny Marshall.
But for some reason Concert King, who had no trouble finishing in front of Winning Partners and River Verdon in the Centenary Cup, did not fire.