The best black bookers so far this season have been the new trainers – Frankie Lor Fu-chuen in the first place and now Michael Freedman as his team slowly builds.

To date, they’ve sent 41 runners to the races for seven wins and seven placings and quite a number of runners who have missed the placings but nevertheless look to have a win coming.

On Wednesday night, the Lor-trained I’m The Won For U did a good job to run third to the strong-finishing Diamond Legend and Argentum after doing plenty of donkey work through the race.

Rugby Diamond set a strong pace, assisted by Massive Move, and I’m The Won For U was right there chasing them to the home turn but managed to hold out most of the run-ons in the final stages.

He has done most of his racing on the dirt and has been versatile in terms of distance, from 1,200m up to 1,650m, but also handles Happy Valley and Sha Tin on the turf.

So, Lor has many options where he can take the gelding and should soon be able to find a race where the five-year-old can score win number two.

Freedman has won with two of his starters but is also getting a tune out of the horses he sends to the races even if they don’t salute.

Happy Friendship has never been especially reliable but the way he found the line behind Le Pegase for fifth suggested he isn’t far from being a winner again.

Michael Freedman rallies from tough initiation to taste success in Hong Kong for the first time

He had a light weight with the apprentice claim and he didn’t have a hard run, but he didn’t finish far from the winner either and he is probably a superior horse on the dirt.

Three races later, the Freedman-trained Lotus Strikes Back ran on well for fourth to Outlawed over 1,650m.

He looks to have been shown the door by John Moore at the end of last season but understandably, as two wins from 31 starts is not the kind of horse that is Moore’s speciality.

For a new trainer though, Lotus Strikes back is still a going concern and his record shows two wins over 1,800m and 2,000m so he is worth following with a step up in distance.