Jockey Brett Prebble turns 34 on Friday and with this being news with the local racing press, one can expect many of his rides to be way below the odds.
The Hong Kong racing public is funny like that: If they know that a jockey or trainer will be having a birthday on that day or a day or two later, then they “MUST” have a winner.
It’s a good script, but there are always twists to every script – and cliff-hangers.
The only perfect “script” we know was when Tony Cruz rode his last race as a jockey in Hong Kong and where he was left all alone out in front and with everyone charging to see who’d run a place.
What mattered was Tony riding off on a winning note.
On Wednesday, with his arch-rival Douglas Whyte sidelined for two race meetings through a suspension for careless riding, Prebble has seven rides on the eight-race card.
Standouts – at least on paper and without thinking of track and weather conditions – are his rides for David Hall – especially Familists in Race 3.
He also rides Snitzel Kid for Caspar Fownes, one for Manfred K L Man and which we have already crossed off our list in what promises to be a very good race.
In the last, instead of riding Topping Light for Fownes, he has opted for Union Star for trainer Dennis C H Yip.
Fownes also has his apprentice Vincent C Y Ho on Windicator Power and which we think will run a big race along with Union Star.
In-between all these is Touch Go and which he rides for low-key horse trainer Francis K W Lui.
Drawn barrier 9 over 1000 metres, is always tough going at Happy Valley – even for a jockey of Prebble’s calibre.
Of course, the somewhat recent combination of this jockey and trainer has yielded a good strike rate especially when it comes to placings.
But strike rates amount to nothing when tacking those 1000 metres from a wide barrier.
Plus, look at the competition – Alvin K C Ng riding for his “boss” Dennis C H Yip on Sea The Pearls, Gary T K Ng’s speedy Ocean Wide, drawn barrier 1 and with – surprise, surprise – Matty Chadwick up and Caspar Fownes “loaning” his apprentice Vincent C Y Ho to Derek Cruz while he puts up old friend Olivier Doleuze aboard Perfect Cheers and drawn barrier 2.
We’re not saying Touch Go cannot win, but we’d rather be looking elsewhere for Brett Prebble to give himself and us a birthday present.
Hopefully, Wednesday’s racing won’t be on a rain-affected track either as all the form we’re doing now will go out the window.
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