He's green and has a lot of learning to do, says Marwing
After giving well-backed favourite Elegant Frames the ideal run in transit, Weichong Marwing endured some worrying moments before the impressive youngster picked up the bit and finished off the first half of a riding double for the South African hoop. "He is a relatively young horse and he made hard work of it today, he is still green," Marwing said of the Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained four-year-old. "I would have been happier if he'd won a bit easier, but I really had to get stuck into him, he was just showing his inexperience. He should improve because he still has a lot of learning to do." Michael Cox
Class Five dweller works hard to get home in time
It was battle to the bottom as Class Five lowlights Bullish Power and Full Star slugged it out in an epic duel that seemed like neither horse wanted to win. Bullish Power had been given a perfect run from gate four by Matthew Chadwick, but even then, it seemed as though the 19-rated Full Star would break through. In the end, Chadwick's mount prevailed, but the four-year-old made hard work of it. "I was pushing him and pushing him, and when he saw the other horse, I don't know if it made him go faster or slower. He got there, but only just," Chadwick said of the short-head maiden triumph. Michael Cox
Gibson is hoping for more from rejuvenated galloper
Richard Gibson's decision to hold on to former Class Five battler Caga Spirit was further justified with the five-year-old's third straight win. Caga Spirit (Tim Clark) survived an off-season clean-out at the emerging yard and continued to justify his trainer's faith with a dominant Class Four performance. "He has just gained confidence each run," Gibson said. "The way he won today, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him in the winner's stall again before the end of the season. Last season he made a lot of physical improvement, but the results didn't show." Michael Cox
