Good Day in strong showing

GARY Ng Ting-keung can look forward to a fine second half of the season if yesterday's trackwork session is anything to go by.

Ng has made a big impression since being granted a trainer's licence for the start of the 1990-91 season when the general reaction was, ''Gary who''? He has let his results do the talking since then, winning with some previously untrainable horses like Satisfaction and Viva St Paul's as well as the likes of E Treasure who scored well last weekend for the stable.

Good Day was slightly disappointing last time, finding nothing off the bit when sixth to Overtaker over 1,800 metres on the grass.

But Good Day's work has been stepped up considerably for tomorrow night's final event. Yesterday, Good Day went very strongly in a solid piece with stablemate Gints To Win.

It is possible that Good Day was still in need of his last outing. He cannot have any excuses in terms of fitness tomorrow but he could in terms of the draw as he must jump from stall seven which is a nightmare over 1,400 metres on the equitrack with sucha short run to the vital first bend.

Gints To Win was unlucky not to score last time in the race won by Golden Luck at Sha Tin as he had to check off Graceful Win's heels when making his run on the rails.

Since then he has been given a much more solid work programme than before any of his previous races this season and he should be kept very carefully in mind for quinella bets this Saturday when he races down his favoured straight 1,000 metres.

Ng also put a serious gallop into his improving first-season import Enthusiasm, who went really well when a close third to Optic Empire over an inadequate 1,400 metres at Sha Tin last time.

Enthusiasm races, trials and works very much in the mould of a stayer and he can be followed at distances in excess of a mile. Yesterday he completed 1,200 metres in a testing 1:16.3 but he may find 1,400 metres too short if taking up his option to run this weekend.

Satisfaction Plus was another Gary Ng-trained horse to figure prominently during yesterday's trackwork session. Satisfaction Plus ran well down the straight 1,000-metre track last time and looked in fine nick as Basil Marcus brought him home in an easy 50.4 seconds for his last 800 metres yesterday morning.

Defending champion trainer John Moore ended an unusually lean spell when See The King won comfortably at Sha Tin on Saturday, adding confidence to Moore's equitrack challenge tomorrow night.

Moore defeated Patrick Biancone in their head-to-head tussle for last year's title largely due to his markedly superior record on the artificial surface.

Much of Moore's problems have stemmed from his stable being very badly hit by the equine flu which ravaged Sha Tin. He has been very patient with his horses since and they have all tended to need their first run back.

Captain Ron is a case in point. He had done more work than most of his stablemates going into his last start, his first run for three months, but he still performed like a horse who benefitted considerably from the outing.

He has worked really well since then, catching the eye on Saturday morning and again yesterday when working with stablemate, Happy Years.

They came home in a comfortable 25.0 seconds off some fast pacework to clock one minute 17.0 for their 1,200-metre hit-out.

Captain Ron's final piece of work should have put him spot on for tomorrow night's fourth event, while Happy Years remains an intriguing runner in the 1,400-metre final race.

Happy Years has done nothing but improve all season, showing more speed than most observers ever dreamed he possessed.

Even allowing for that speed, he probably only got away with his sprint wins due to his innate and superior class. Now that he has been promoted towards the top of Class Three, he will almost certainly need farther to show his full potential.