RACE 1
A Class 5 race over 2000m where topweight Better Announce, taking a class drop, Dragon Bachelor and Electronic Gospel (huh?) will be in the money- and could easily finish outta the money. Distance races are pretty sparse in Hong Kong and which usually throws up a curve ball or two. Or three. So, let’s just Enjoy The Game and go a bit wide.
SELECTIONS (3-7)-1-4-8-13
RACE 2
Another meeting and another chance for trainer Almond Lee to get his required 15 winners for the season. Gawd knows, he’s been stuck on 14 winners for an eternity and, if you take out Master Mind, and, G-One Leader, his Sum Win Dragon can upset at odds. Some win, some lose…
What’s more, the trainer has engaged Ben “The Plunger” So for the ride, who is used astutely by certain trainers when they have a runner primed for a win and need it to come in- at odds.
Look at how many times David Hall has turned to The Plunger to deliver, the most recent being last Wednesday when Mr Genuine swamped them in the last at almost 15s.
SELECTIONS: 12-6-3-5-1
RACE 3
A Class 4 race over 1600m where the usual average suspects meet again and with, most likely, a Keyser Soze springing a surprise.
SELECTIONS: 8-3-9-14
RACE 4
The first leg of the Triple Trio and with a jackpot up for grabs, it’s definitely worth going for- and, perhaps, taking two sets in this leg, one using Sensation as the banker and the other one taking Diamond Mysterious instead.
Sensation has disappointed twice after winning over 1000m at 15s, but Zac Purton won’t be riding this if it didn’t have a chance, especially as its last run can be forgiven as it was severely hampered in the running.
Here’s my problem- and I have many: For the TT, Sensation only needs to run in the top three, and if it does, with the other two legs looking to have solid bankers, the odds of a big payout will be slim unless some roughies run into the placings. What brings about bad shrinkage is winning the TT and for it to pay less than your outlay which can make you feel like a right knob.
What I’ll be doing is taking Sensation and Diamond Mysterious as double bankers with 3-4 outsiders, and then take Diamond Mysterious as a banker on its own with five legs- and leave out Sensation. Sensationally confused? So am I.
(3-10)-2-5-6-9-11
RACE 5
Supreme Profit and Sergeant Titanium are the logical bankers and though the former has been off the scene for five weeks and is stepping up in distance here, they should not disappoint in what will be a ding dong battle between the Magic Man and the Zac Attack.
With these two being favourites, take 4-5 roughies as legs.
(8-9)-1-2-5-13-14
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FROM THE RACING TWITTERVERSE
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RACE 6
Moreira retains the ride on impressive last start winner Packing Pins and this Ricky Yiu-trained galloper has all the class to win this, or at least run into the placings. Having said, Packing Pins is a difficult ride, and from an awkward draw, being beaten isn’t out of the question which would knock out a number of Six Up players- and if, for whatever reason it’s planted out wide and the Magic Man becomes Mr Bean, there’ll go many Triple Trios. Quelle horreurs!
On the subject of blowing hot and cold with the jockeys he uses- Danny Nikolic, Steven King and Gerald Mosse come to mind- has the relationship with Neil Callan hit a wobbly patch- and will we be seeing Happy Chappy Damian Lane being the one who benefits from the Yiu jockey-go-round?
(3-10)-4-5-7-12-14 (4-10)-5-7-12-14
RACE 7
A pretty open Sprint Cup where there are four runners with winning chances- Peniaphobia, Gold Fun, Teofilo Calva- a very good outsider- and Charles The Great. For my money, Charles will be in charge of this sprint.
SELECTIONS: 4-10-3-8
RACE 8
It’s the eagerly anticipated Audemars Piguet QE11 Cup, and here, I’ll take on Designs On Rome as, whether the pace was its undoing at its last start in Dubai, or the track conditions, or all those dancing sheikh to sheikh, it didn’t impress me, plus I keep well away from horses returning from Meydan. History has proven that they come back almost with their spirit broken.
Designs Of Rome can certainly win as John Moore targets these Cup races where here I prefer another of his runners-Helene Happy Star with Tommy Berry up, ironically, the one-time regular rider of Designs On Rome- and, lest we forget, Able Friend. What’s mind blowing is how Helene Happy Star, definitely THE horse to follow next season, was the overnight favourite for this race.
Perhaps there was only some chump change in the pool dumped in to baffle those who follow this early market?
As for the winner, for my money, it has to be the David Hayes-trained Criterion which has worked brilliantly for this race. And if it wins, the campaign for Haysey to return to Hong Kong with, at least, one current expat trainer having to finally hand in his license, will become even stronger than the jungle drums already growing louder that this will happen.
SELECTIONS: (3-4)-1-2-5-10
RACE 9
Again, some of the better chances are drawn out wide over the 1400m of this race, which will hurt their chances, but there’s hope: horses 7 to 14 surely cannot win this??? Frankly, I don’t even know what they’re doing in this race which Eroico should win, other than to sneak in an add spice to the Quartet
QUARTET (4-6)-1-2-5-8-10
RACE 10
An open race now that Line Seeker is out and Multimax drawn out wide. I can’t have Multimax on a win line. The one I can and at odds is the underrated Travel Renyi with a rejuvenated Ollie Doleuze in the saddle (below) with the dangers being Eye On You, Bossie, and the lightly weighted Blizzard with Mr Mauritian Cheekbones- Karis Teetan- in the saddle.
(3-10)-1-2-5-6-14
BEST BET: RACE 8 CRITERION (4) NEXT BET: RACE 3 MOTIF (8) LONGSHOT: RACE 10 TRAVEL RENYI (10)
SIX UP (1)
R5: 8-9 R6: 3-4-5-8-14 R7: 4-10 R8: 4 R9: 4-6 R10: 3-6-10-14
SIX UP (2)
R5: 8-9 R6: 3 R7: 3-4-10 R8: 2-3-4-10 R9: 6 R10: 3-6-10-14
PARTING SHOT
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