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Australian import Sparta is proving to be one of Macau’s toughest racehorses with another superb effort to win on the turf at Taipa.

His victory in the Class 2/3 Handicap (1200m) on Sunday when ridden by Brazilian rider Leo Salles saw him burst out of the gates to lead comfortably.

The Beneteau gelding was chased by the former New Zealand G1-placed Huka Eagle and these two left the rest of the field in their wake.

Huka Eagle tried bravely but Sparta really dug deep in the run the line to edge away and win by a length and a quarter with Innoalloy running on best of the rest for a distant third.

Prepared by the joint stable of Rambo Tse and KC Wong, Sparta has now won three races and been placed second four times from his seven starts in Macau.

The biggest beaten margin for the gelding has been a half length and in all his second placed efforts he has fought tooth and nail until the end.

The bay has also shown his versatility by handling any type of surface whether it be wet, dry, sand or turf.

Sparta commenced his racing career in Victoria with Team Hawkes running second in a Bendigo maiden from only two starts there.

Owners Lam King Poy and KM Ng then exported him to Macau arriving here on a rating of 62.

After Sundays win Sparta will now go a mark of around the mid 90s. That would bring him close to Sweet Korean’s rating of 99 points.

Sweet Korean has won his last five straight on the turf and like Sparta has still not reached his full potential.

Sparta’s run time of 1.08.2 was just a tick slower than Sweet Korean’s 1.08.1 the week prior on identical track conditions, and the much anticipated clash of the two in the coming weeks is going to be a great contest.

The former top class performer Bobo So Cute returned to form when he scored an upset win in the 95 to 70 rated Handicap over 1350 metres on Friday’s sand program.

Reunited once again with jockey Andrew Calder, Bobo So Cute came from a mile back in the run to power right over the top of them to beat Kelowna Star with the favourite Feast For Eyes weakening late to run third.

Bobo So Cute a son of Savabeel was shaping up as one of the enclaves most promising gallopers in the 2014 – 2015 racing season winning seven races including five on the trot.

With victories in the Grand Lisboa Stakes and Lisboa Challenge on his resume the gelding’s future was looking rosy.

However after his Lisboa win in July last year his form gradually tapered off and the gelding was a shadow of his former self going winless in his next 11 starts.

Andrew Calder had not ridden the horse since October and Bobo So Cute was a long and lonely last at least 12 lengths off the leaders.

Calder started to rev the gelding up coming to the turn and he showed a brilliant turn of foot to weave between runners and hit the line strongly.

Bobo So Cute paid a whopping $1592.00 for the win one of the longest priced winners in the enclave for some time.

Lucky Today is another horse on the way up judging by his win in on the turf on Sunday.

Ridden by Leo Salles Lucky Today made light of his wide draw to get across and park just of the leaders.

Once in the straight the son of Mastercraftsman lengthened well and went home too strongly for Your Friend with Galaxy Giant close up in third.

Lucky Today is prepared by Tony Fung and now has won three races from his six starts in Macau all at the 1200 metre distance.

The win by Lucky Today denied trainer Geoff Allendorf of a winning treble for the day.

Allendorf provided the quinella in the 25 to 45 rated event over 1500 metres with Treasure Smile just grabbing the stablemate Highspot on the wire.

Luen On Treasure saluted in the feature over 1100 metres to give Allendorf a quick double before Your Friend went down narrowly to Lucky Today.

Leo Salles took riding honors over the weekend with four winners, with Andrew Calder next best with three victories.