RACE 1
If one were to look at the number of times Kharu has run in race 1 whenever racing at Happy Valley, it’s been, at least, five times in a very short space of time. Of course, being owned by serial bore and notorious photo bomber Natalis- it rhymes with Vitalis- Chan, the man who wears Joseph’s Technicolored Dream Jacket on his head, if the horse wins, there’ll be the usual carrying on by the one-time lead singer of the appropriately named local band called the Loosers.
Here, regular rider Derek Leung is on it, it’s drawn what’s becoming his usual barrier-eleven- and, mercifully, I can’t see Kharu winning, which means not seeing Nat Chan whooping it up and ruining my evening. If Kharu gets up, as it did in race 1 over course and distance around seven starts ago, the French C’est Si Bon promotion or not, if you see me getting smaller, I’m leaving.
SELECTIONS: 6-2-5-8
RACE 2
My Legend for the Whyte-Cruz partnership will be the favourite, and should, on its last run, it’s first start for the Cruz stable, should go very close.
Well, it’s either or with My Legend, so take a Quartet with it as a Win banker, and another one where it’s just a leg. The race has a number of runners with good chances and offering far greater value.
SELECTIONS: 6-9-2-5
RACE 3
Zac Purton is riding in such phenomenal form that it’s logical to include Step High, drawn barrier one here, on a winning line. It should show the same winning moves as The Zac Attack’s massively successful Surf-Punk band from Coffs Harbour in the early Nineties called the Zucchinis, below.
Spot a young Zac Purton in the Zucchinis
The other big chance- Great Toplight- will be piloted by Brett Prebble, who’s another rider very much in-form and singing that old Righteous Brothers classic, “You Haven’t Lost That Winning Feeling”.
The Fownes-Prebble were extremely unlucky not to come second to Aerovelocity in Singapore on the weekend when Lucky Nine was bashed from pillar to post. The team could make amends tonight and make sweet music as they once did when in their band The Bringe, below. Caspar is on the far right, Brett Prebble on the left.
SELECTIONS: 1-5-3-7
RACE 4
It’s very tough to go beyond Triumphant Dragon with the Zac Man up- a galloper that’s done extremely well in the lower grades since moving to the stable of Manfred Man. The Zac Man and the Man Man? Why not?
SELECTIONS: 6-2-8-1
RACE 5
The top two runners in the ratings- Secret Agent Man and impressive first-start winner Happy Journey-should be the ones to beat and can be taken as double bankers in what looks like being the easiest leg for those going for the Triple Trio Jackpot.
SELECTIONS: (1-2)-3-5-7-11
RACE 6
Jockey Alex Lai almost owns Hella Hedge, has a terrific record on it and should go close here in the last- and very difficult- leg of the Triple Trio.
This really looks like being the race tonight where Quasimodo will be ringing dem bells to signal an upset, especially with rain forecast- some pretty heavy rain.
SELECTIONS: 1-7-11-12
RACE 7
Speedy Longwah with Moreira up, below in a Menudo-type boy band when in São Paulo, can be taken as a banker with the logical legs being facile last start winner over course and distance- Chater Legend- and Supreme Essence, which races up a class with nothing on its back.
Spot Joao Moreira
SELECTIONS: 10-12-1-5
RACE 8
Despite winning on it at its last start, Karis Teetan, below with his Glam-Rock outfit when in Mauritius- The Mighty Cheekbones-seems to have been jocked off Happy Rocky which is reunited here with Brett Prebble, who was the first jockey to get the best out of the galloper.
Karis Teetan, pictured far left
One guesses with Prebble’s great record with Happy Rocky, the connections wish to stick with the jockey who knows their horse best.
Happy Rocky should be right there, but big dangers include wet tracker Little Dragon, if there is rain about, Bespoke Collars must also be included along with Goodheart Success. Box these four and you should get a result- but just don’t start singing, “I Can’t Stand The Rain”. Perform a rain dance that it does.
SELECTIONS: 8-1-4-7
BEST BET RACE 4 TRIUMPHANT DRAGON (6) NEXT BEST RACE 1 LIGHTNING AND GOLD (2) LONGSHOT RACE 8 HAPPY ROCKY (8)
SIX UP
R3: 1-3-5 R4: 6 R5: 2 R6: 1-7-11 R7: 1-10-12 R8: 1-4-7-8
PARTING SHOT
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