Often The Three Amigos feel like Modesty Blaise, but then we say, why be shy enchiladas, and so let it all hang out and beat our own drum like Gene Krupa on steroids.
We were beating our own drum hard and fast and with muchos big sticks on Sunday at Shatin after telling our loyal followers- all five of them- that we didn’t think Joao Moreira would ride any winners other than NothingIlikemore in the last. We were almost correct. He just managed to also win on Bravo Watchman, probably named and dedicated to those brave Hong Kong night watchmen not asleep on their jobs. But NothingIlikemore, another good find from Price Bloodstock straight to the great horseman that is John Size, who’s taken his time with the galloper, looks like being something very special. But please, racing media, let’s not make this one also suffer from premature viral infection. And dear HKJC, let’s keep the plushies on ice.
We also showed we had mighty big cajones- we enjoy giving them a good airing quite regularly-by saying that it would be a good day for ten-pound claiming apprentice Dylan Mo. Some laughed at us like bad banditos in a Sergio Leone spaghetti Western, and asked, “No? Mo?” Yes. Mo, nasty hombres. He delayed no more.
Dylan Mo has been a work in progress, with the work taking more time than expected to progress. But on Sunday, things finally clicked into place, mentor for Hong Kong’s apprentices Felix Coetzee looked twenty years younger- look below at how young he suddenly looked- and somehow with Roger Glover, bassist with Deep Purple- and the young rider didn’t delay no more by riding a double.
It was what was needed to get that diablo monkey off his back as he- and even many senior señor jockeys- might find it tough to get on winning rides when Adelaide’s favourite young gun, Matthew Poon, whom they’ve nicknamed “The Poon Train”, below right, pulls into the Hong Kong choo choo station later this month.
Also a ten-pound claimer, which some are whining is an unfair advantage as it seems as if he’s been riding in Australia forever, left Adelaide on a winning note by storming home to win aboard Tycoon Queen at 17s on Monday. Not only was it a very good ride, it was a ride made to look better as “The Poon Train” was in a race that included some of South Australia’s best riders- Dom Tourneur, Jamie Kah, and another young gun with potential in Eran Boyd. Eran Boyd is also muchos eye-popping pretty, don’t you think?
The headache for a number of jockeys in Hong Kong will that they will not only have to compete for rides with Joao Moreira- we’re being kind by using the word “compete” as no one competes with Joao Joao- but soon also with “Boom Boom” Poon, who we understand enjoys his karaoke and moves, not like Jagger, but more like Bruno Mars when let loose on the dance floor.
When we’re right, we’re right, and we were right to mention at muchos length the success in Hong Kong of Sam Clipperton. On Sunday, El Clippo rode a treble, won the Jockey Challenge and was given the privilege of riding the mighty Able Friend, still very much a champion in our books. He’s come a long way, but that grounding when apprentice to the great Ron Quinton should never ever be forgotten.
Tonight, Boomerang, the Happy Wednesday Aussie Aussie Aussie promotion continues with more chockers of fun- beer, burgers, kangaroo meat- we passed on that- wines, steaks, more beer, more food, the great Kat Coetzee Band back at the Beer Garden, and, of course, horse racing.
Not being tipsters, there’s no point giving out our humble bumbling selections as they’ll probably be the same as what everyone else gives out.
For example, in Race 8, we think the top choices will be Sea Jade and Premiere. Check it out and these are probably tipped by every professional tipster in town. Plus, the odds of changing our minds AND changing our numbers once at the races are very high. Why change our numbers? Who wants to be lemmings? If everyone picks the same numbers, where’s the value? Plus the light drizzle at the moment can turn into a hard rain that might fall before Race 6.
There was plenty of value on Sunday at Shatin, or, as it’s now being spelt by many in racing, Sha tin, when Apache Spirit won at over 100 to 1. If this radical change to ensure that no one writes that a horse has “shatin” has come from someone at the HKJC, we just hope that this same quest for perfection can be seen in the Club’s painfully slow and often meaningless Twitter feed on race days plus the improvement of photographs it provides the media. We don’t think that the army of photographers the Club employs on race days has moved from their designated positions in over thirty years. The result? Boring and often unusable photographs compared to the creativity of Kenneth Chan who produces such consistently good work for the SCMP. Now, let’s back to that 100 to 1 shock win of Apache Spirit.
The owners looked shell-shocked, and not even the trainer (Caspar Fownes) and jockey (Vincent CY Ho) gave the horse a chance of winning.
Did any professional tipster mention Apache Spirit? Some may have waffled how this or that person mentioned that the horse’s track work had improved to which we say, Waffles with some syrup, amigo? That type of crapola is closing the barnyard door after the 100 to 1 shot had bolted.
We’d much rather look at the trainer-jockey combinations when it comes to value. There’s absolutely no value in backing Joao Moreira because all of Hong Kong does. Close behind him when it comes to everyone looking for winners are El Zaco and, more recently, El Clippo.
Of course, one cannot be silly and leave these very good jockeys out of calculations, but, at least, to us, The Three Amigos, it’s always been worth our while following jockeys Nash Rawiller and Derek Leung whereas some in Australia look at the rides of Matthew Chadwick for value.
To each their own, and the more we think about it and look at the wagering landscape, more and more are actually looking at what’s being tipped and going AGAINST those playing the predictable numbers game.
One more thing to take into consideration is that racing to win at the idiosyncratic Happy Valley track is, even without any rain, often unpredictable. It’s an amazing night out- a truly Happy Wednesday- but of the eight races run, at least 2-3 throw up some burritos completely out of left field of Waco and ridden by one of those local riders many leave out of calculations like Ben So, Alex Lai, or, aye, caramba, Alvin Ng.
HAPPY WEDNESDAY VIDEO OF THE DAY
Nobody can resist a tank 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/2ZSUVoxp1A — Because I'm a Guy (@CauseWereGuys) March 13, 2017
PARTING SHOT
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