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The much-hyped trainers' championship battle ended in a Saturday stalemate at Sha Tin – none of the three contenders won a race – and the afternoon instead became a showcase of Hong Kong's equine stars of the future.
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Championship leader Caspar Fownes (66 wins) may have strengthened his claim on a fifth title all the same, with pursuers Danny Shum Chap-shing (61) and Mark Newnham (60) also drawing blanks with two meetings remaining.
That left the stage clear for the next generation, and six of the 11 winners were three-year-olds, headlined by import Solid State's five-and-a-half-length demolition in a Class 3 sprint, with Victor Supreme, Bustling City and debut Griffin winner Almighty Warrior adding to the youthful theme.
Solid State's profile doesn't scream upside – the A$1.75 million Magic Millions yearling was essentially a high-priced flop through Australia's two-year-old features for champion trainer Chris Waller – but gelded, sold and transferred to Frankie Lor Fu-chuen, he exploded onto the scene under Alexis Badel, dominating in front and stopping the clock at a slick 1:08.26 for 1,200 meters.
"He didn't win a race in Australia, but I think after gelding him, he's a bit different," Lor said. "I was a little bit surprised he led on his own. He was quicker than in his barrier trials, and then the second section was a little bit quick, so I was a little bit worried about him entering the straight. Anyway, he won the race and it's good for me.
"Everyone knows he was quite an expensive horse, but he wasn't able to win a race as a colt, so I think that's why they wanted to sell. The owner bought him by himself and asked me, 'I have this horse, can you train it for me?' I said, 'Of course.'"
Ricky Yiu Poon-fai was the day's dominant trainer with a four-timer, but the one that had him most excited carries 2027 Four-year-old Classic Series promise. Victor Supreme had taken eight starts to break through, but the step beyond a mile for the first time proved the key as the New Zealand-bred put a decisive margin on his rivals over 1,800 meters – and Yiu is already thinking about the 2027 BMW Hong Kong Derby.
"Too big of a margin! I thought he's a winning chance, maybe a length or two, not this style," Yiu said. "He's an up-and-coming long-distance horse. Even a mile is a bit sharp. I think mile-plus, 1800m, 2000m, he'll be one of the Derby candidates. When the first-stage Derby entries are out, I'll put him in."
David Hayes rode the day's highs and lows. Jedi Spurs was beaten at 1.1 by Almighty Warrior in the opening Griffin race – an endoscopic examination later revealed mucus in the gelding's airways – but the stable bounced back when Bustling City, racing in the Ling family's famous yellow and blue silks, took the Chan Trophy on the all-weather under Brenton Avdulla.
"That's how I thought the first one would win!" Hayes said. "His first two races, he really disappointed us because he was mentally fried in Hong Kong, but he's adjusted now and he started running to his trial ability. I think he won seven trials for seven wins, now he's put it together in a race and I expect him to be a good horse next season.
"He'll be labelled a dirt horse, but he'll probably debut next season on the turf and then second or third run he'll run on the dirt again. I think he's a Class 3 horse in waiting."
