THINGS couldn’t be any tighter at the top of the Hong Kong Trainers’ Championship, with both Francis Lui and his former assistant Pierre Ng on 65 winners for the season.
It was Lui who came out on top at Happy Valley in midweek, recording a double to level things up, and he looks to send a strong party of 12 runners to Sha Tin for their 11-race twilight fixture on Monday, beginning at 9am.
Lui looks to have outstanding claims of taking the lead in the championship when he saddles HAROLD WIN in the Serving The Community Handicap (11.05am).
The three-year-old son of Swiss Ace has showed promise in both his two starts to date, running on well for fourth on debut behind the likes of Glory Elite, Lucky In The Sky and Super Bonus over this six-furlong trip at Sha Tin on debut.
That form looks strong with all three of the horses that finished ahead of him having gone on to win since.
It was a similar story next time out, where he again stuck on for fourth without quite looking like he was totally applying himself in the closing stages.
Andrea Atzeni remains in the plate and the application of first-time blinkers should help him finish better, so he could be ready to record a first Hong Kong win.
Trainers’ title rival Ng fields debutant First Love, but judging by his recent trials he is likely to need more time, and the main danger could be other first-time-out rival Lucky Impact from the Frankie Lor stable.
More auspicious winds could be blowing for the Lui stable later in the day, when four-year-old SECOND TO NONE lines up in the Better Future Handicap (2.20pm) over a mile.
A model of consistency in seven starts this season, he is yet to finish out of the frame and has won on two occasions, over six furlongs at Sha Tin in January and again when stepped up to seven furlongs at the same Kowloon track in March.
He also went down by only a neck on his penultimate start, when upped to this class for the first time, and caught the eye staying on late in the day last time to finish third.
Those runs proved he is more than capable of holding his own in this company and on the basis of his last effort, the step up to a mile could be the key to unlocking more improvement.
Vincent Ho teams up with Lui for the ride – the duo have a strong 15 percent record together this season – and there’s every chance Second To None could enhance that and carry Lui clear in the Trainers’ Championship.
POINTERS MONDAY
Harold Win 11.05am Sha Tin
Second To None 2.20pm Sha Tin