HK Briefing: Can Joao Moreira star again with more Magic at Sha Tin?

Moreira in the spotlight as HK gears up for AW action

Happy Valley's turf course gets a rest this Wednesday so the HK action moves to Sha Tin for an eight-race AW card featuring a few familiar faces to British and Irish fans. All the action is live on Sky Sports Racing from 12.15 and a few things worth knowing include:

• The surface has more in common with American dirt than British or Irish AW surfaces. Horses can win from behind but early speed tends to be a useful asset and Wednesday's track will be rated Wet to Slow after recent rain.
• The draw is a factor but not in the way you might imagine. Races over 1200m produce a pretty even spread of winners (and placed horses) from 1-12. However, races over 1650m feature a short run into the first turn. Those drawn high don't find it easy to secure a good position and that is reflected in the data, with those drawn in double figures recording win and place strike rates way below average.
• Joao Moreira has been HK's dominant dirt rider this season with 14 wins from 53 rides. No one trainer has excelled this term but Frankie Lor and Me Tsui have recorded notable strike rates in the past.

2.45: CLEAR WATER BAY HANDICAP (1200m)

• The speed will be on. Utopia Life is sharp, as is Just Not Listening from the inside gate, but Flying Genius has fine early pace and has drawn much lower than of late. Mega Heart tends to get well back and can be forgiven his latest run as he endured a tough trip.

• Wind N Grass won four at up to a mile when known as Basic Law for Ger Lyons but is being trained as a sprinter by John Size. He's found form on his last two runs, the latest at the Valley last week, and now makes his dirt debut.
• Highland Fortune (ex Fozzy Stack), Packing Joy (Wedding Blue for Andrew Balding) and The Weatherman (Showout for Archie Watson) are also Euro imports. Highland Fortune has scope for improvement but all three need to take a sizeable step forward to land this.
• The speed horses also look the key horses. There is nothing between Flying Genius and Just Not Listening - separated by just a neck when placed behind the highly progressive Will Power here last month - and the fact that they are drawn 2 and 1 suggests they can shape the race.
• Just Not Listening has Moreira back aboard for the first time in almost two years and looks bound to go well again, but Flying Genius caught the eye travelling powerfully in front for a long way when they last met. Tony Cruz’s gelding is still progressing after six runs and, with Purton up for the first time, he should be tough to beat.

3.50: CHEUNG SHAN HANDICAP (1650m)

• Again, a true pace looks assured. Buddies is natural front runner and Moreira won't want to waste his low draw, while Circuit Glory will attend him from an inside gate and Easy Go Easy Win looks set to push across from out wide. Kings Shield is the tricky one to assess. He was very impressive from the front on his sole previous dirt run here but a lead from stall 12 against this hardened bunch won't be won easily.

• Kings Shield is best known in Britain for his fifth behind stablemate Without Parole in the 2018 St James's Palace Stakes and took to the dirt like a Scat Daddy duck to water here last June, bounding clear of Buddies to run out one of the most impressive AW winners seen all season. Two sprint runs and a handy recent trial win suggest he ought to be cherry ripe now, so where's the catch? It comes in the shape of stall 12, which has produced just one winner and four placings from its last 70 starters over 1650m. Of course, the draw is just one factor. But in this case it's no small one.
• Bear Slam (formerly Purser when winning a Newmarket Listed race) isn't the only former Gosden horse on show and he shouldn't be discounted. The fact that Moreira has jumped ship will help his price but he's been in great heart on this surface and didn't get much luck at all behind Raging Blitzkrieg on his latest start.
• Raging Blitzkrieg finally clicked again here last month, benefitting from a saloon passage and a low draw. The fact that he's 5lb higher and drawn 13 now will probably see punters swerve him. And they're probably right.
• Buddies has thrived since making his debut just over a year ago, improving his rating from 52 to 79 with three wins on this surface and running a career best on turf last time to chase home the exciting Seattle Choice. A 2lb rise for that looks fair and, with Moreira booked and an ideal draw, John Moore's gelding clearly has a lot in his favour.