A drop to Class Five, a dash of early speed, and a pinch of good fortune helped limited Hot Pepper serve up a tasty win for Howard Cheng Yue-tin and trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong in the opening race. The five-year-old jumped to an early lead and was well rated by Cheng, who held his position on the rail before kicking away to a neck victory over Mustang. 'He had all the benefits in the run and, with the drop to Class Five, he was able to do enough to win,' Cheng said. 'He doesn't mind fast ground and was able to run good time and keep going today, but once he gets back into Class Four he will struggle.' Yip said interference at his latest start had hindered Hot Pepper, but had also enabled him to drop down to Class Five with race-fitness on his side. 'I'm glad to get another win for the owners, but we may be waiting a while before he can do it again,' Yip said.
