Our Hong Kong expert Graham Cunningham previews Wednesday's card at Happy Valley live on Sky Sports Racing.
Ricky joins the 1,100 Club as Delight blows Hot again
Ten meetings left in the HK season and the local lads are travelling strongly.
Veteran handler Ricky Yiu joined messrs Moore, Size, Cruz and Fownes as a member of the exclusive 1,100 winner club thanks to a double from Chill Buddy and Chill Easy.
Francis Lui scored with one of the most promising youngsters around as Hot Delight made it four wins from five starts under Vincent Ho in the Class 2 feature.
Jerry Chau is poised to land the prestigious Tony Cruz Award for leading homegrown rider after moving to 44 wins for the season with a double.
And Caspar Fownes starts out on the last lap of a prolonged battle for the trainers’ title with a lead of four over Mark Newnham and Danny Shum after Love Together nailed File Fancy Lucky Candy by a short head in the 1000m dash.
Fortunately, Chill Buddy and Chill Easy helped end the bout of File seconditis and the spotlight now switches back to Happy Valley for a midweek card that features several horses who are bound to command significant support.
14.10: Superb King
Aussie rider Ethan Brown hasn’t got off to a flyer during his first HK stint – with three winners from 81 rides thus far – but the man from Alice Springs can look forward to a bold effort from this speedy gelding.
Fownes and Joao Moreira supply one of the main dangers in emphatic recent Valley scorer Elegant Life and New Power is another with fair place prospects after a close third here two weeks ago.
But SUPERB KING has been knocking hard at this level for a while now. His latest second to Elegant Life’s stablemate The Heir was franked when that rival went in again last week and, left on the same mark with an ideal draw in 2, this lad has plenty in his favour again.
15.15: Tycoon Resources
Fans of big improvers won’t take long to alight on this gelding, who created a strong impression with a winning Valley debut and backed it up in dramatic style recently by coming from way back to defy a 7lb rise with a 22.25s closer over 1000m.
But the Cruz gelding hit a noticeable flat spot before finding full stride three weeks ago.
The step up to 1200m should suit as he steps up to Class 3 and several of his biggest dangers – notably Aurio and Greater Bae – are drawn way out west in 12 and 11.
Keeping it simple with the jolly might be the way to go, then, but I can’t resist flagging up the return of the muscular enigma that is SZERYNG here.
John Size’s chestnut has gone the wrong way since looking one to note on his first two starts this season, hanging badly right for Zac Purton over Christmas then bleeding from both nostrils when fading tamely under the champion in January.
It’s clear Szeryng can’t be recommended unreservedly, but he’s been trialling well at the HKJC’s Conghua base after a break. Add in the fact that Brenton Avdulla might be able to ride him cold on the inner in a strongly run race on his Valley debut and it all adds up to an intriguing little sub-plot.
15.50: Target Audience
The Fownes and Moreira partnership is in full flow at present – with nine winners in the last six meetings – and Target Audience has been running well enough to suggest he ought to go well again on his Valley debut in the finale.
But there are plenty of viable alternatives in this open Class 3 and topweight FLYING WROTE looks a solid win and place option under that man Chau.
This five-year-old has progressed well in similar company of late, getting within a head of the bang-in-form Giant Ballon in April then swooping late to thwart the same rival’s bid for a four-timer last month.
A 7lb hike makes life tougher but Flying Wrote is in the form of his life and, with a strong pace on the cards, his strong-finishing style could be seen to best advantage again.
Wednesday’s Valley Views
- 14.10: Superb King
- 15.50: Flying Wrote (EW)
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