Michael Robert’s Captain of All gelding, Renaissance Man (speed score 102) fought out a thriller at Scottsville, just sneaking in from low-flying, top weight, Isivunguvungu (has run 109 @ best) to cause a 16/1 upset in a Pinnacle Stakes.

Renaissance Man has run nine times over 1000m for three wins, coming into the race with an official merit rating of just 83. The light weight was well handled by Malesela Katjedi to keep his officially much higher merit rated (119) rival at bay by a whisker.

Noble City (s/s 96 +) is a youngster to watch. Heavily backed when winning on debut at Kenilworth, he was then badly blocked at his follow-up sprint start. Stretching out over 1400m he proved too swift for the opposition in Race 6, an MR 92 handicap.

The closing race fell to Golden Peace (s/s 97) who followed up on a Maiden score with a much better than normal figure for a low merit rated handicap. This son of Gold Standard from the van Zyl yard is making neat progress. 

Two of Hong’s Kong’s finest thoroughbreds – California Spangle and Lucky Sweynesse, won as heavy favourites on Sunday at Sha Tin.

They have been cranking out big numbers over the past few months and duly arrived in the Chairman’s Trophy and Sprint Cup, respectively.

Here are some of high-class Lucky Sweynesse’s best recent figures:109, 111, 112 & 115. He is a four-year-old gelding by Sweynesse that has now won 13 of 15 starts.

And, California Spangle, by Starspangledbanner brought his tally to 10 wins (and six seconds, there’s no disgrace getting repeatedly beat by champion Golden Sixty) from 17 starts: 108, 109, 111, 113 & 114.

For those Interbet punters who follow Hong Kong racing, two others to take out of the meeting are Red Lion and We Are Hero. The former was held tight down the straight but when Zac Purton extricated him from that pocket, he hurtled through to beat off Fantastic Treasure in a Class 2 over 1400m with a speed score of 104 +.

Earlier, as Hugh Bowman sat chilly on We are Hero, he sidled past rival Class 3 sprinters for an easy- on- the- eye victory worth a number of 103 +.

Â