Brilliant Dream stamped himself as a horse of the future with a tough last-start victory and - if the youngster can make the same race-to-race progression in the opening leg of the Triple Trio at Sha Tin on Saturday - he should account for a Class Four field.
After a green but sound effort for fifth on debut, Brilliant Dream missed a start due to an arsenic positive and then, without a trial, improved dramatically second time out to win.
Brett Prebble had barrier 11 to contend with and Brilliant Dream was never on the track as he sat better than midfield without cover, yet he was still able to knuckle down and kick away in the straight.
Brilliant Dream held off another progressive looking talent, Paul O'Sullivan's strapping Starcraft clone Star Track, who looks a horse with plenty of ratings points in hand and had the more favourable run.
The short-head margin to another 52-rater has saved Brilliant Dream in the handicaps. He only went up six points to 58, and given the exacting toll of the run the win may have been worth more.
The three-year-old still has to carry 131 pounds this time, which is never an easy task against older horses, but this is probably the time of the season to do it - facing tired-legged opponents.
From barrier five over the same 1,200m course, Brilliant Dream can expect a much cushier run in transit, and with the rail in the A position, expect him to be bursting down the centre of the straight from a just-better-than-midfield sit - this time with some cover.
The biggest danger, possible favourite and a double banker candidate is Benno Yung Tin-pang-trained Wild Boy, who gets the blinkers on for the first time and in-form jockey Hugh Bowman is replacing Eddy Lai Wai-ming.
After a fast-finishing second up the straight on debut, Wild Boy was heavily punted last start over the course and distance, and had every chance, really, when beaten half a length by Cheers Victories.
The four-year-old was ideally placed to challenge, but got into a bumping duel with runner-up Unbeatable Guts which probably cost both horses a chance to go past the leader and eventual winner. Maybe the blinkers - and the grunt of Bowman - will get Wild Boy on the straight and narrow, and result in a more genuine effort.
He should get the ideal sit from gate one, from where he maps to get the trail behind Tomodachi (Dicky Lui Cheuk-yin) and perhaps Bould Mover, who deserves serious consideration as he drops to a better barrier with Joao Moreira aboard.
Also include Sea Warrior (Neil Callan), who drops in grade, but has not been disgraceful up in Class Three and drew well.
Prebble is on another three-year-old making a late season ratings climb in the final leg of the TT - Caspar Fownes-trained Bunker Shot, who steps up to 1,400m after an easy maiden win last start.
Bunker Shot will not get the same soft run from gate 10 as he did last time, nor will he get some cut in the ground - which he appreciated last time - and he has to lump top weight of 133 pounds in the Class Four. B
But the two and a quarter length win looked like that of a horse with a few points in store.
Take Bunker Shot as banker from Beauty King (Matthew Chadwick), Sunny Pearl (Tommy Berry), Oscar Miracle (Callan) and Ascension (Karis Teetan).
Leave Really The Best (Lui) out at your own risk though - he always seem to take everybody by surprise.
In the middle leg, a 1,600m Class Four, take Top Act (Berry) as banker from Hey Cheers (Prebble), Peppermint (Zac Purton) and Snow Slider (Callan).
