Our Hong Kong expert Graham Cunningham previews Thursday's card at Sha Tin live on Sky Sports Racing.
Ibis flies high again as Nichola steals the show
It felt like a day when the new HK season eased into a higher gear.
Derby winner INVINCIBLE IBIS returned in fine fettle, battling on bravely to land the G3 Celebration Cup under Luke Ferraris, but GALAXY PATCH laid down a marker for big mile prizes, storming home to get within a neck of the winner while conceding him 8lb.
David Hayes hailed BUSTLING CITY as “the new dirt king” after his blazing defeat of useful Class 3 rivals, while Irish import PACKING KING (formerly Maestro Mark) proved way ahead of his handicap mark by running clean away from his rivals under Zac Purton.
But the Sha Tin Sunday show-stealer was a homegrown female rider who started the day with a 10lb allowance and ended it as a 7lb claiming star after making every yard aboard Causeway King, former G1 winner Victor The Winner and File fancy Aeroinvincible.
Nichola Yuen celebrated with a cheeky “sorry, not sorry” after holding Purton and even money favourite Circuit Champion in the last leg of her first treble and Thursday’s Sha Tin card presents her with eight more chances to shine again.
And an 11-race public holiday card also presents punters with the riddle of whether to be with or against a handful of strong favourites, starting with COLOURFUL KING in the featured G3 National Day Cup at 7.00.
David Eustace’s gelding faces several old favourites in this £400,000 dash, including last year’s runner-up Raging Blizzard and proven big handicap winners like Crimson Flash and Magic Control.
But Colourful King, still not fully exposed after ending last season with a decisive Class 1 win over course and distance, looks the one to be on.
Purton produced Colourful King with a perfectly timed challenge to master Magic Control that day. A stalking trip looks the order of the day again and, with Eustace reporting “a nice, smooth prep,” everything looks in place for another bold bid.
Jedi Spurs made a big impression when bolting up on his debut last season only to return with substantial mucus in his trachea after being turned over at 1.1 on his sole subsequent start.
David Hayes’s gelding has trialled impressively at Happy Valley ahead of his reappearance in the Huangzhou Handicap at 8.05.
He could prove much better than a rating of 60 provided he channels that exuberance efficiently, while the other two races to note on Thursday’s card jump at 9.10 and 10.10 respectively.
It looks like Zac has opted to partner Spirited Steed in preference to the Hayes-trained Ka Ying Radiance in the Chongoing Handicap and Francis Lui’s gelding has shown more than enough to suggest he has a Class 4 in him.
But the same applies to Ka Ying Radiance.
Unlucky to go down by a short head having been caught in a pocket under Purton in May, this gelding was another to catch the eye in a recent Valley trial.
Ka Ying Radiance travelled powerfully and came home with a will in truly run workout against some fair horses at the city track. I suspect he has a fair bit more ability than a mark of 45 suggests and he’s well worth a chance to prove the point from the inside gate under Matthew Poon.
And then we come to the reappearance of one of the most talked about youngsters in town in the Beijing Handicap.
Hot Delight made a striking impression in his first season, winning four from five in a manner which suggests this step up to 1400m will suit him well, but the early market signs suggest he’s going to start at under 2-1 after his summer break.
That looks tight enough given the depth of opposition in this valuable Class 2 and, in a race that ought to suit those who come from off the pace, I’m tempted to take a win and place chance with topweight SKY JEWELLERY.
John Size’s gelding missed last season’s Classic Series after bleeding from both nostrils in a February barrier trial but he looked better than ever on returning in the spring, winning two good handicaps then finishing fourth in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy after racing freely and being forced wider than ideal in a race that was run at a dawdling early gallop.
Hand on heart, I suspect Sky Jewellery is going to prove at his very best over a mile before the season is much older.
But the presence of Drombeg Banner and several other pace pressers ought to help the strong finishers here – and Sky Jewellery still looks fairly treated even though he concedes 6lb and more to his National Day rivals.
Thursday’s Sha Tin Selections
7.00: Colourful King
8.05: Jedi Spurs
9.10: Ka Ying Radiance
10.10: Sky Jewellery (EW)
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