Alexis Badel bids farewell to Hong Kong and has a good chance of signing off his winter stint in style at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Badel bids to say adieu in style
Leave them wanting more is never a bad motto and French rider Alexis Badel has the chance to do just that to his growing local fan club at Sha Tin this weekend.
HK racing's favourite French import has enjoyed a memorable winter stay, with 25 winners including three trebles, and his potent partnership with Douglas Whyte could hit new heights at Sha Tin this Sunday on the final day of his latest four-month contract.
Whyte gives Badel the leg up on Relentless Me in an open-looking 7.20 and the pair combine again when the unbeaten Inner Flame tries to stretch his winning streak to four in the 7.50.
But Badel's book gets stronger as the day wears on and Farhh Above and Super Wealthy line up for the last two races on the card with very persuasive claims after catching the eye in very different ways of late.
Badel and partner Eva welcomed their first child Rebecca late last year and he feels he has much to thank the new arrival for.
“I think that what I learned in my previous visits has really helped me,” he said.
"But having to look after someone more important than you is very important. It makes you want to be a better person and I will always look back on this stay in Hong Kong as a very special time."
Luckless Farhh bids to make amends
Whyte was famously clinical while dominating the HK weighing room for 13 consecutive jockeys' titles and the signs suggest he will adopt a similar approach now training.
Vincent Ho's failure to find room aboard Farhh Above when the pair were odds on three weeks ago prompted a swift response and Badel is the beneficiary on a lightly-raced colt who was very impressive here in January and would have followed up decisively with a clear run behind Beauty Loyal last time.
Beauty Loyal will surely find it hard to confirm the form on worse terms this time. Joyful Heart looks a bigger danger after two convincing wins in a Class 4 company, but Farhh Above gives the impression he could be much better than a mark of 79 and will be a deservedly short price to prove the point.
“It wasn’t pretty to watch” is the way Whyte sums up Farhh Above’s torrid last-start passage.
"Thank goodness he’s pulled up ok and he has an amazing turn of foot - I think that’s the key to him."
Beauty Loyal races to a game win in the finale to give Joao Moreira a treble. 🙌
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 8, 2020
BUT take a look at Farhh Above... 👀
...the exciting 4yo had every 🚪 slammed shut before charging to a dead-heat 4th. #HKracing pic.twitter.com/RQSeWmJ6ia
Wealthy primed for fitting finale
Super Wealthy faces a notable Euro presence in Sunday's finale at 9am, headed by Decrypt, Glorious Spectrum and Flashcard.
Last year's Irish Guineas third Decrypt came to HK as a possible Derby contender but hasn't gone on so well as connections hoped, while Flashcard was a runaway Ascot winner for Andrew Balding but hasn't trialled well enough to suggest he can strike early for Tony Cruz.
Former Italian Guineas runner-up Glorious Spectrum has been trialling strongly and is worth watching on his return from a long break, but all the Euros have their work cut out based on what Super Wealthy has shown of late.
Whyte's latest improver has taken a big step forward with each of three HK starts over 1200m, all the while shaping as if an extra furlong will suit him extremely well. The form of his latest win has been franked and the he was almost certainly the horse that Badel had uppermost in mind when asking the stewards to extend his contract for one more day to ride this weekend.
Super Wealthy charges clear in the Sha Tin nightcap to give @AlexisBadel a treble! #HKracing pic.twitter.com/pmbWveI3pj
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 27, 2020
Aethero joins Dubai dropouts
First Exultant, then Beauty Generation and now Aethero. Hong Kong's best have been dropping out of Dubai reckoning one by one and the last major hope of G1 success at Meydan has disappeared with news that John Moore has ruled Aethero out of the Al Quoz Sprint.
Aethero returned from a break to win an AW trial on Tuesday but Zac Purton felt the huge chestnut was below par and Moore will now set his sights on the G2 Sprint Cup (April 5th) as a lead-in to the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize on April 26th.
Big Time Baby (Golden Shaheen) and Elusive State (Godolphin Mile) are on course to fly the HK flag on World Cup night and international racing fans will have an intriguing new wagering option with the news that the World Pool - first used with great success at Royal Ascot last year - will operate at Meydan for both Super Saturday (March 7) and for World Cup night (March 28).
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