By Hans Ebert @hanseberthk
Not surprisingly, the past few Happy Wednesdays have seen Australian jockeys, especially digger Zac Purton dominate the Aussie themed Boomerang promotion.
It was actually The Zac Attack who got the Boomerang to come back by sashaying towards me and asking, “Mite, with so many Australians part of Hong Kong racing, why hasn’t there ever been an Aussie themed Happy Wednesday?” Better late than never, mite.
Tonight sees the first of a few Happy Wednesday Oktoberfest promotions. But which jockey to follow when there are no German riders in Hong Kong? The HKJC has a German CEO, but one doubts he’ll be jumping on any horses often.
Meanwhile, talk amongst those who follow racing has been Joao Moreira aka The Magic Man, who has broken every record set by a jockey and creating some new ones of his own, not having ridden a winner for the past three Happy Wednesdays. His overall winning stats have fallen as well and there are those wondering if tonight will be when this brilliant Brazilian rider gets his mojo back and pulls some rabbits out of his sombrero. Hope so, but one doubts it. His book of rides don’t look that strong and those rabbits might have to wait for another day to pop out.
Those who appear to have good books of rides are Neil Callan, below, especially The Poon Train whereas Zac Purton always has strong stable support.
Those who seem to be having a hard time attracting good rides are, difficult as it might seem to believe, are Douglas Whyte and Brett Prebble. Whyte has just two rides tonight though the latter has a very strong chance to take out Race 1 with GOLD TALENT (8). It’s work leading up to this has been excellent, and don’t ever underestimate Prebble. He’s way too good a jockey not to follow and still hungry for winners. Whyte just has to be thinking about a trainer’s license though he’s certainly not the type of person to meekly leave the riding ranks. He’s invested way too much time to become the legend that he is.
Was it that long ago that these two riders made Hong Kong racing a two horse race? Still, when they do decide to hang up their boots, it will be on extremely expensive mantle pieces in one of their equally expensive properties with Joe Walsh singing “Life’s Been Good To Me” in the background.
To many of us who live here and are racing fans, Happy Valley is an incredibly difficult track to not only ride, but to figure out and where one can bet with any degree of confidence. The muggy and rainy weather predicted for tonight could only result in pot luck. It’s why a careful betting strategy would be to take few different Six Up combinations as there’s a jackpot up for grabs, perhaps a Triple Trio, also with a jackpot, and take a second Double Trio and Treble. For a small outlay, there can be plenty of value- and fun in snagging some winners.
SUGGESTED SIX UP
R3: 1-4-7-10
This first hurdle is ALWAYS a tough one to clear! KING WINSA (7) is an extremely good value chances though the main chances should be UNIQUE HAPPIEST (1), BO DUKE (4), PREMIUM CHAMPION (10).
R4: 1-2
PHANTOM FALCON (2)
Forget barrier 11. It has the pace to get across and has in form Derek Leung aboard.
OUR HERO (1)
R5: 1-4-10 GOLDEN HARVEST (1) BACK IN BLACK (4) TRAVEL BATUK (10)
R6: 1-3-4 HEROIC GURU (1) STAR MAJESTIC (3) RAZOR QUEST (4)
R7: 2-8 BEAUTY MASTER (2) KEEP MOVING (8)
R8: 2-9-12 PACKING DRAGON (2) PIKACHU (9) SUPER CHIC (12)
In the end, it’s about making the evening last and having a good time and trying to forget about a world gone wrong at least for a few hours. It’s tough to do, but what else is there to do?
So, here’s to a fun Oktoberfest Happy Thursday, some laughs, possibly a winning night, but, more than anything else, the world winning over evil and becoming a kinder and more peaceful place for us all. It’s really not too much to ask.
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