While John Size and Hugh Bowman were pleased to collect doubles at Sha Tin on Saturday, it was the Class Four victory of exciting youngster The Winnabe that gave the pair the biggest thrill.

The Winnabe burst onto the scene with an impressive debut win last month and lived up to his skinny starting price at Saturday’s twilight meeting with a determined triumph in the Class Four Pok Fu Lam Public Riding School Handicap (1,200m).

Settled in midfield under Bowman, the $1.2 favourite travelled ominously well around the home turn before unleashing an electric turn of foot in the straight to wear down long-time leader Vantastic Choice.

The three-year-old son of Caravaggio covered the final 200m in 22.2 seconds - nine-tenths of a second quicker than standard time - to prevail by three-quarters of a length.

“He’s a lovely horse and I think this horse is going to run a little bit further,” Size said after adding to his victory in the opener, the Class Five Butterfly Bay Handicap (1,400m), with Noble Win.

“He’s got a very quiet and relaxed demeanour, he’s very laid back so I think he’s going to run further than the 1,200m as we probably saw today.”

The Winnabe’s triumph provided Size with his first brace in over two months and secured Bowman the first leg of his race-to-race double.

The 43-year-old rider took his season tally to 61 thanks to the Frankie Lor Fu-chuen-trained Enjoy Golf in the Class Four Lei Yue Mun Public Riding School Handicap (1,400m).

“He was very professional,” Bowman said of The Winnabe. “He’s shown us a nice bit of talent from the time we started working with him and he’s continued to progress.

“It was a strong performance, he had to navigate a bit of a path and he did that with a sense of maturity, which is encouraging.

“What I liked the most is that when I got out after the leader, I then needed a second effort and he did it with ease – he’s got a bright future.”

The Winnabe is another of Size’s exciting gallopers at his disposal for next season, with the likes of Wunderbar, Young Champion and Helios Express yet to reach their ceiling.

The veteran trainer provided an update on Wunderbar - who is the only speedster to beat Group Three winner Ka Ying Rising - following the galloper’s return to trackwork.

“He’s fine, he’s working at Conghua,” Size said. “He’s had a good break after an operation and I plan to trial him soon. Maybe on Friday [June] 14, there’s an 800m trial and then I’ll put him away for the rest of the season.”

While Wunderbar will not race until next season, Jimmy Ting Koon-ho suggested Lo Pan Spirit may be given another spin after the improving three-year-old collected an impressive Class Four win in Saturday’s Hong Kong Riding For The Disabled Association Cup (1,200m).

In his bid to meet the revised requirement of 14 wins for the season and avoid a first strike in his training career, Ting saddled arguably the most dominant winner of the afternoon, with Lo Pan Spirit prevailing by three and a quarter lengths under a front-running ride from Harry Bentley.

“He’s a nice horse and he has a big stride,” Ting said after moving to 10 wins for the campaign. “I think he will keep improving as well. Maybe next season he needs a bit further, that will be better for him I think.

“It’s hard to say but I think maybe I can [get to 14 wins]. If the new horses go OK I think I can get the target. Even 16 winners I thought I could aim for, but 14 is much easier.”