Sep 6, 20154 min read

IF IT’S SEPTEMBER, IT MUST BE A NEW SEASON WITH THE FAST TRACKER

The barriers spring open and the new racing season gets up and going at Shatin this afternoon with punters shaking the mothballs off, waking up from an enforced two month hibernation and looking for some get-quick riches by trying to grab the various jackpots on offer- $1.59m in the first Double Trio, $24m in the Triple Trio and $1m in the Quartet and First Four in Race 10.

That’s all well and good, and one must be in it to win it blah blah blah with the big question being which horses are forward enough this early in the season, and then wondering if all of Joao Moreira’s rides will start way below the odds. Looking at the Magic Man’s book, it doesn’t look like being a great one, but Moreira can make the ordinary look extraordinary.

Frankly, Zac Purton’s book looked far more reliable, and, but alas, “The Postman” is out as is Brett Prebble who injured himself at trackwork yesterday. The Zac Attack is ruled out through a freakish accident that buggered up his ankle though he was Jack be nimble yesterday and felt fine to ride today. Sure wish he was. As was proven last season, replacement riders simply fail to deliver when Purton aka “The Postman” is forced to pull the pin.

There is only one Postman, and punters don’t have time to play Postman’s Knock, or believe that The Postman Always Rings Twice. Still, the horses have been primed to win today, so we must stick to the script albeit with a certain degree of trepidation.

Away from the Batman and Superman of Hong Kong racing, Chad Schofield has a decent enough book of rides for his baptism of fire to racing here with some solid winning chances, thanks to fellow South African- trainer Tony Millard.

Douglas Whyte, and, especially Gerald Mosse, looked surprisingly short of rides, let alone winning chances, until the Durban Demon picked up one of The Zac Attack’s winning chances. Meanwhile, what looked like being le grande French swordsman’s best of his four rides for the day- Motif in Race 6 as the retained jockey for the stable of Manfred “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” Man, is now out and which throws the last leg of the Triple Trio wide open.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bab96bgaYkE

On the subject of Mosse and Man, which is usually Mosse and Cherchez La Femme, perplexing is why he was not booked to ride the Man-trained Everyone’s Choice, which had an excellent chance of giving Neil Callan the first winner of the new season, but, in an alarming spate of late withdrawals, is now out. These withdrawals and jockey changes do not augur well when punting and a Softly Softly approach is strongly recommended.

This early in the season, it might be smart to follow the local trainers, especially the stables of Ricky Yiu and Danny Shum who, following a cameo appearance on YouTube this week after a trackwork rant, seems to have entered almost his entire stable towards the latter part of the card.

The local trainers know that with their highly superstitious owners, they need instant results if they’re to impress these current and potential owners. Go through a losing streak and the Bad Fung Shui mantra will start up in earnest with trainers and their jockeys sent to have their heads shaved to get rid of their bad luck.

Of the local jockeys, look to the rides of Keith Yeung, Vincent Ho, 10-pound claimer Jack Wong, Matthew Chadwick, who had an annus horribilus last season and will be looking to get back amongst the winners plus, for odds to add value to Quartets, leave out the rides of Jacky Tong at your peril.

Tong almost didn’t have his riding license renewed, but common sense has prevailed and the hard working rider, who can deliver when on a horse with a chance, will be out to prove his knockers wrong. Supreme Fresh in the last, which he rides for Ricky Yiu could easily run into the Quartet at good odds as could Gold Precious in Race 6. Singing “The Yin Tong Song” might not be such a Goonish thing to do in these two races.

Elsewhere, there’s always Neil Callan to factor in to bets with the Irish bulldog never prepared to lie down and just go along for the ride whereas to also consider on a third line are Nash Rawiller, who’s benefited the most from the absence of Purton and Prebble, and lightweight riders Karis Teetan and Richard Fourie, below, back in Hong Kong after a break last season, and with a good chance in a very open Race 10 out to get a winner on the board.

Teetan could be around the money in a very tough looking Race 1 which looks like going to a local trainer, and Races 2,3,10, and 9 where he rides Romantic Cash for Danny Shum who saddles three runners in the race.

No one said life would be easy, but they also didn’t warn us that finding winners will be so damn hard. But there’s a long season ahead, and plenty of time to settle into a winning groove. Okay, Earth, Wind and Fire, hit it!

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RACE 1 4-1-2-3-12