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SCMP Reporter

DANNY Lee rode his first winner back from suspension when forcing Golden Emperor home at Happy Valley on Wednesday night and he looks to have another big hope on Splendid Chance at tomorrow's final meeting of the season at Sha Tin.

  Splendid Chance went firmly into the notebook when an eye-catching second to Jollity over tomorrow's course and distance of 1,400 metres.

  This represented very much a return to form for the Kenny Kam-trained seven-year-old who was at his best last season when posting a brave head win from Lucky Swallow.

  At that level of form, Splendid Chance will be very competitive in tomorrow's fourth event and his trackwork since his second to Jollity suggests Kam and Lee have brought him back to peak condition.

  He has been one of the most consistent workers over the past month or so and will lack nothing in fitness or freshness - as he has not been over-raced either - when he lines up.

  Yesterday Lee was on hand to supervise his final gallop, indeed one of the features of his nine-meeting suspension was that he spent a good deal of the time riding trackwork, especially on Splendid Chance.

  So all the form and trackwork signs point to Splendid Chance racing up to his best form and yesterday's gallop in a strong one minute and 19.3 seconds served to confirm these impressions.

  Tomorrow's first event looks a particularly tough Class Three sprint down the straight 1,000-metre course but it could just pay to put Patrick Biancone's Eastern Saga into the quinellas.

  Like Splendid Chance, he put in a very smart effort on his last start and his trackwork has improved since.

  He is a horse with a number of problems but he is also at his best down the straight and his run round the bend last time, and a trial and some strong work since, hint that he could come right back to his best and at good odds to boot.

  The second race sees the debut of Geoff Lane's promising New Zealand import, Catalan Gold, who ran sixth to the Lance O'Sullivan-ridden Popsy in the New Zealand Derby.

  Champion jockey Basil Marcus has wasted no time in snapping up the ride on Catalan Gold who looks an ideal type.

  He never goes more strongly than when he hits the line in his work which is always a good sign.

  A mile may be on the short side for him on Sunday but he is likely to be doing all his best work at the finish and is another with a good quinella chance at big odds.

  The obvious form horse in this second event is John Moore's Ever Joy who lived up to his tall reputation from Sydney with a quality win under Johnny Marshall last time out.

  Since then Ever Joy has made further progress in his work and he is going to be very hard to beat.

  He could even be one of the day's banker bets with Catalan Gold a value quinella selection.

  Better Choice will be among the favourites for the fifth event for Classes Three and Four over 2,000 metres following an impressive win last time out.

  A dark horse in this is Tony P. H. Chan's Royal Horse who didn't get the run of the race at all last time out but has worked very well since.

  David Hill's Northern Celadon and Lawrie Fownes' Enthusiasm stand out in the seventh event on both recent form and trackwork.

  Northern Celadon has blossomed over the past few weeks and is going at least as well if not better than prior to his facile last-start success.

  Enthusiasm has been flying since moving to Fownes who has sharpened him up considerably by applying the blinkers.

  Fownes has improved a heap of horses that have joined him from all different stables over the past two seasons and Enthusiasm, only starting for the second time for the Fownes' camp, has been the star worker over the past fortnight or more.



Lee champs at bit for final spoils