Our Hong Kong expert Graham Cunningham previews Sunday's card at Sha Tin and acknowledges a milestone for Michael Chang.
Michael Chang celebrates his 400th HK success
Homegrown handlers are off to a flyer heading into the tenth meeting of a new HK season.
Manfred Man tops the table on ten winners after a Happy Valley double on Wednesday, while Pierre Ng and Cody Mo are on nine and eight while popular veteran Michael Chang continued his fastest start for years, scoring with both his runners in midweek and reaching 400 HK winners in the process.
Tony Cruz got off the mark after an unusually slow start when Georgian Sigma asserted, leaving Jimmy Ting, Dennis Yip and new boy James Cummings as the only three trainers waiting to break their duck for a new campaign.
Sha Tin provides the local boys with eleven more chances to shine on Sunday and, on a typically trappy card, the following five horses catch the eye as potential improvers.
MIGHTY PROFIT caught the eye on his debut in June, coming home strongly from well off the pace over 1200m.
David Eustace’s gelding has been trialling with plenty of promise ahead of his reappearance and the step up to 1400m looks ideal in what looks a shallow Class 4 at 06:30.
David Hayes has dubbed BUSTLING CITY as the new ‘king of the dirt’ in HK.
That’s a punchy call for one who’s still rated just 74, but this aggressive Starspangledbanner gelding has shown tremendous speed in winning two from two on the AW and a 12lb hike to a mark of 74 shouldn’t be enough to stop him in the 7.00.
Yip gets a good chance to break his duck in another dirt dash at 07:30 as Mega Captain signed off with a win last season and shaped like a progressive horse when forging clear in a trial two weeks ago.
His Quinella claims are hard to ignore but JUICY DRAGON won twice on the AW last season – beating Mega Captain in fine style over course and distance in May – and his strong travelling style makes him an appealing alternative to the jolly at much longer odds under Luke Ferraris.
Ferraris partners another interesting horse when MEGASTAR HEART lines up for the 09:35.
Caspar Fownes was patient with this muscular Aussie import last year, sending him to the races just three times in May and June.
He showed clear signs of promise on his final start, staying on nicely in a race that’s worked out well, and his runaway recent win in a Conghua trial suggests that connections have him primed and ready for his first run of the season.
Now to the most interesting race of the day namely the Yuen Long Handicap which closes the card at 10:45.
Early market signals suggest that hat-trick seeking Jumbo Treasure will start as a strong favourite for this valuable Class 2, while Rising Force and Storm Rider (with the aid of Nichola Yuen’s 7lb claim for the first time) are others with Quinella potential.
But TURQUOISE VELOCITY is the one for me.
Francis Lui’s gelding has made a fine start to his HK career, winning four from eleven at sprint distances, and he caught the eye again when second to former G1 hero Victor The Winner over course and distance on his reappearance.
Turquoise Velocity had a sustained battle with Victor that day, the pair going through the first 800m in around four lengths faster than standard.
Sunday’s pace map suggests that Karis Teetan won’t have to work quite so hard to secure the lead this time and, with a good draw in stall 4 and further improvement possible, this likeable sprinter ought to give his followers plenty to shout about.
Sunday’s Sha Tin Selections
06:30: Mighty Profit
07:30: Juicy Dragon/Mega Captain
10:45: Turquoise Velocity
To bet on Hong Kong racing via Betfair's Tote click here
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
