Placed once in four starts last year, the four-year-old brown/grey Australian gelding by Thunder Gulch out of the Danehill mare Duotone has progressed from being a maiden to a top class winner in just eight outings this season.

Ridden by Saimee Jumaat today, CHINA ROCK was simply too good for his rivals, winning by two-and-a-half lengths, making him as a horse to watch in the RM1.35 Yang Di Pertua Negeri Gold Cup (2200m) next week.

Saimee, whose lead in the table was threatened by second-placed Latif Sofhan, who scored once yesterday to close the gap to one win, was in top form today, booting home four winners to distance himself from Sofhan again.

Saimee’s first winner today HOGANSVILLE will not be included in the statistics as his race was confined to Penang based horses.

But Saimee, nevertheless, went on to score on SUCCESS VITAL (4 br.a.g Canny Lad - Country Lane by Success Express), CHINA ROCK and HORSE KING (8 b.a.g Hust Awesome - Clontarf Beach by Sea Road).

Meanwhile, two more winners (SUCCESS VITAL and CHINA ROCK) from Lee Yoke Bill today means he is just two winners behind leading trainer Marinus van Breukelen. The final two racing days next week will be nail-biting for both.

VENUS has come to form at just the right time when she won the RM150,000 NSF Queen Of The Turf (1400m) for fillies and mares sold by the National Stud Farm.

Only two starts back, the four-year-old bay Malaysian mare by Posen out of the Bletchingly mare Daringly got off the mark, winning a race restricted to Malaysian breds.