Future's looking bright for runaway winner Sunny Power (14 Nov)

MARK YOUR CARD by MURRAY BELL

Four-year-old Sunny Power continued his rise up the ratings with another quality performance to land the Sunny Bay Handicap at Sha Tin on Sunday.

In scoring by three-quarters of a length from another promising type in River Jordan, Sunny Power emphatically confirmed his potential and showed that another win at the bottom of Class Two will certainly not be beyond him.

Sunny Power is prepared by Francis Lui Kin-wai, who would have had very mixed feelings after watching his former star Hello Pretty - winner of the Hong Kong Derby Trial in February under his tutelage - take the Hong Kong Cup Trial for new trainer Tony Cruz earlier in the programme.

Lui has done a very good job with Sunny Power, and jockey Douglas Whyte was quick to pay due credit to the local horseman in post-race interviews for his patient handling of this son of the former champion American dirt miler, Honour And Glory.

The club's handicappers lifted Sunny Power eight pounds to a rating of 85 for that win, and given the authority of the victory connections will have no cause for complaint. The race rated 1-1/4 lengths better than average for a Sha Tin Class Three, and confirms the notion that both first and second are smart youngsters on their way to better races.

Inspiration's all-the-way win in race eight at 1,200m confirmed his progress through the ranks as well.

This chestnut son of Flying Spur has been a solid performer, whose record has now improved to eight starts for three wins, two seconds and a third.

Inspiration was unlucky at Happy Valley at his previous outing through no fault of jockey Felix Coetzee, and probably would have won with either a better barrier or a strategic decision to go forward.

However, that's two wins from his three starts since turning three and the Australian-bred PPG looks a significantly stronger and more mature horse than he did last term as a griffin.

Although they finished in a different order, the three placegetters in the Tung Chung Handicap for Class Three horses were the same three who filled the placings in the Juvenile Sprint Trophy in June. In that event, Bear Macho defeated Money Man by a neck, with Inspiration 1?/2 lengths away third.

On this occasion, Inspiration enjoyed a seven pound turnaround on Bear Macho, thanks largely to the five-pound claim of Alex Lai Hoi-wing, who cleverly used his weight advantage by sliding straight to the front.