Delights still to come after messy sprint (26 Sep)

MARK YOUR CARD by MURRAY BELL

Royal Delight and Shane Dye undoubtedly stole the show in the main race at Sha Tin on Sunday, but the 1,000 metres sprint for Class Two gallopers looks likely to throw up a number of future winners.

While Royal Delight looks like progressing right through to the top grade, runner-up Jiang Jun did very well to finish second, beaten three-quarters of a length, despite racing towards the rail and therefore away from the best ground.

It would have been impossible for any form analyst to predict that Royal Delight, from barrier two, would end up so close to the outside fence while Jiang Jun, from 13, would be closer to the inner, but that's exactly what happened.

While apprentice Terry Wong Chi-wai had a hard time looking for racing room, once he did manage to get clear and work to Royal Delight's inside, Jiang Jun took matters into his own hands and continued on an inward vector.

The desire of so many riders to get as close to the outside fence as possible meant a number of horses were jammed up and had insufficient racing room.

Chateau King Prawn, having his first start for the John Size yard, basically went to the line untested in sixth place, beaten three lengths. Jockey Douglas Whyte was caught behind a wall of horses for most of the race and when Chateau King Prawn did see daylight, the winning post was only about 25 metres away.

Able Choice was in a similar, but slightly worse situation. Danny Nikolic did the right thing by crossing sharply behind the field towards the outside rail in a bid to offset an inside barrier. But once Able Choice got there, he never saw daylight and also reached the finish untested.

Special King Prawn had his first start for the Tony Cruz stable and ran a very good race too, after meeting interference at the hands of Jiang Jun, who forced him down to the slower ground back on the inside.

New Zealand private purchase Sugar On Top made a big impression, steaming home late from tailed-off last to finish eighth, beaten 3-1/4 lengths.

Sugar On Top scored just one win from 13 attempts in New Zealand but he was very consistent, being placed a total of eight times and only once did he finish out of the first five.

At his only start in Group company, Sugar On Top finished third in the Group Two Avondale Guineas, beaten less than a length.

Sugar On Top, a son of New Zealand's three-time champion sire Volksraad, was formerly trained by Russell Cameron but is now prepared by Paul O'Sullivan.

HORSES TO FOLLOW: Chateau King Prawn, Able Choice, Sugar On Top.