Graham Cunningham's Hong Kong Briefing: Warm order

Hong Kong's midweek racing moves to a slightly earlier slot this week with a nine-race Happy Valley card getting under way at 10.45 on Sky Sports Racing. Valuable handicaps are the order of the day - with over £1m in prize money on offer - and Joao Moreira and some familiar British faces are in the news as HKIR week approaches.

Tom and Hollie head into the Valley

One of the less well kept secrets in HK racing was made public by Tom Marquand on At The Races over the weekend when he revealed that he and partner Hollie Doyle are heading to HK for the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship next month. British racing's newest power couple will be up against previous winners Moreira, Purton and Teetan in the four-race challenge on December 9th, while the rumour mill suggests that Ryan Moore will seek a third success in company with William Buick and a couple of France's leading riders.

Moreira marching on

Moreira moved eleven clear of Zac Purton and Karis Teetan with a Saturday brace at Sha Tin and has his usual full book at the Valley. The Magic Man's link with Caspar Fownes has been one of the key themes of the season so far - with twelve of his 34 winners coming for the season's leading trainer - and the duo link up again on Wednesday with four-time Valley winner Green Luck, who came home strongly for a close fourth here last month and is bound to be popular from a good draw in the Cheung Hong Handicap at 2.15.

HK elite out in force for Jockey Club day

With various pieces of the December puzzle still to fall into place Moreira isn't looking too far beyond this weekend's three important HKIR trials at Sha Tin. The Jockey Club Sprint Mile and Cup all carry G2 status - and the small matter of £450,000 apiece in prize money - and the Brazilian is optimistic that at least two of his three big rides can excel again at the weekend.

Warm can turn up the heat from good draw

Nearer to hand, the Magic Man links up with a capable British recruit when Keep You Warm lines up for Wednesday's Fu Cheong Handicap at 1.45. The No Nay Never gelding was a Sandown winner when known as Master McGrath last year and has run two fine races at Sha Tin recently, chasing home the highly promising Sky Field then being worn down late by Lockheed. Purton and Teetan provide the biggest dangers aboard Storm Warnings and Hardly Swears, but Keep You Warm is fairly treated having been raised just a pound for his latest run and he's better drawn than his two main rivals in stall 3.

Jerry making merry despite reduced claim

HK's leading apprentice Jerry Chau marked his first day as a 7lb claimer with a silky last-to-first charge aboard Casimiro on Saturday and promises to prove a valuable asset to punters for a while yet. The 20-year-old - who now has 14 winners and an impressive place strike rate of more than 43 per cent - seems much more adept at riding a waiting race than most apprentices. But Chau is equally handy on front runners. He showed as much with a bold all-the-way success aboard Stanley Park at the Valley three weeks ago and the muscular chestnut - all 1346lb of him - ought to give Moreira and the lightly-raced Scores Of Fun plenty to think about in the Valley finale at 2.50.

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