Free betting tips for Happy Valley | The Hong Kong File

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Sunday’s Sha Tin card was brought to you by the numbers two and three.

Alexis Badel notched his first two winners of the season, delivering a cute front-running ride on Frankie Lor’s Healthy Happy in the G3 Celebration Cup and following up for the same handler on Happy Together.

South African star Lyle Hewitson impressed again with a double of his own on Yellowfin and Packing Treadmill, with the latter completing a treble for Francis Lui which took him three clear atop the trainers’ table.

Vincent Ho also fired in two winners after a belated start to a new campaign, while Andrea Atzeni drove home his second winner of the season on Bear Slam, thwarting runaway leader Mission Bravo on a day of frustrating seconds and thirds for File fancies.

Class 5 debutants well worth a second look

Small fields are seldom a major issue in HK but the fact that six of nine races at Happy Valley on Wednesday have failed to fill gives the card an unusual complexion.

I wouldn’t normally be drawn to Class 5 puzzles but SUPERB MOVE has been found a notably soft one in the opener at 11.45 and Dennis Yip’s gelding, who shaped well several times last season and is fresh from a solid trial, will surely be tough to beat on his debut in the cellar grade with Bowman aboard for the first time.

Division two of the same Class 5 at 12.15 looks a little more competitive with Faithful Trinity and Medic Elite both set to go well. However, the venerable nine-year-old RIGHT HONOURABLE looks to have been set for this by his new stable.

Aussie handler Mark Newnham came close to his first HK success when Mission Bravo was run down late on Sunday but Right Honourable has been dropped a generous 4lb since leaving Richard Gibson over the summer.

That enables him to drop to Class 5 for the first time in his 66-race career and two recent trial wins under Zac Purton suggest this could be the ideal stage for his seventh HK success.

Hughie staying up all night to get Lucky

Bowman suffered his first blank day of the season on Sunday but he partners one of the most interesting horses on the Valley card as LUCKY GOR looks nap material for the Melbourne Cup Tour Handicap at 2.15.

Stalls 1-4 have won 49 of the last 77 races over 1200m at the Valley when the rail is in the C position so Lucky Gor is ideally placed in gate 3, whereas Atzeni’s mount Mega Bonus is drawn 10 having been raised 5lb for a course and distance defeat of Super Eagle where he secured the perfect trip from the inside alley.

Super Eagle can reverse that form this time and looks the sensible saver option but Lucky Gor won snugly at the Valley on his second start last season and caught the eye again on his recent reappearance, racing freely in front and kicking clear until being run down late.

The fact that Caspar Fownes has booked Bowman this time looks significant. I suspect the canny Aussie will be happy to take a lead from the speedy Happy Fat Cat this time and, provided he channels his energy smoothly, Lucky Gor looks primed to prove that he’s better than his current mark of 58 suggests.

High draw asks progressive Wonder a new question

The simple route into the Cuckoo Handicap at 3.15 is to side with the highly progressive Wonder Kit and keep it moving.

Vincent partnered this flashy chestnut to a dominant Valley success from stall one in June and the five-year-old looked very sharp in bounding clear of some fair rivals in a Valley trial recently.

But the draw at the city track can level the playing field. Stall 10 is 1-76 on the C track in recent years and therefore the Quinella looks the way to go here.

A wide gate won’t stop Wonder Kit going close so he has to be in the mix but three-time Valley winner HOSS has more to give this season and the lightly-raced TOMODACHI KOKOROE can also give it a good go from a handy draw after catching the eye twice towards the end of last season.

Wednesday’s Valley Views

11.45: Superb Move

12.15: Right Honourable

2.15: Lucky Gor (Nap)

3.15: Quinella combining Wonder Kit, Hoss and Tomodachi Kokoroe

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