VON BAER

On August 31st, he ran a 1000m turf barrier trial at Conghua (running position: 10-10-5); he jumped out somewhat slowly and made a slight run, finishing close to the pace. On August 20th, in a 1050m dirt barrier trial at Conghua (running position: 1-1-1), he showed strong resistance and broke cleanly to win. Coming out at the start of the season, his performance two months ago over 1200m on Sha Tin turf was not bad; he maintained his position near the rear. After two recent barrier trials, there has been slight improvement. In this race over 1200m on Happy Valley turf, with eight previous losses, his prospects are somewhat disadvantaged; the draw is not ideal, and his finishing kick has not been outstanding. The rapport between the jockey and trainer is not particularly strong, but his condition is acceptable within the group, suggesting he might still have a chance.