WITH racing winding down for the season in Hong Kong, Happy Valley hosts another typically competitive nine-race programme, including a handful of hotly contested Class Four handicaps, and featuring a Class Two dash (12.10pm) over five furlongs.
Hong Kong racing enthusiasts should be mindful that as the season draws to a close there are likely to be some strange results, with connections desperate to get a win on the board to pay for their gallopers’ forthcoming six-week summer break.
The Class Three Cheong Ming Handicap (3.15pm) over the extended mile is an interesting puzzle to solve, with a number of course specialists, who have accumulated 19 victories at the venue, lining up.
Form book students will point to the race that top-weight Red Hare King won over the course and distance last month as the strongest form on view, with rivals Aestheticism (2nd), Star Contact (3rd) and Jumbo Legend (4th) all close-up.
There is no doubt that Red Hare King could be named the winner from some way out in that contest, but this time with a six-pound penalty, he also has a negative double-figure draw to overcome and may not get the race set up to his advantage.
The Pierre Ng-trained Aestheticism gets a four-pound swing in the weights for his neck defeat by that rival last time, but more importantly has been drawn favourably in gate four, which should allow him to sit closer to the early pace.
With his bodyweight similar to when he won at Sha Tin in May, he has plenty in his favour, and looks the principal threat to the Douglas Whyte-trained ZOOM BOOM.
This son of Awtaad has been a model of consistency since March, making the frame in all four of his races, and is unlucky not to have added to his sole success over the track and trip in April.
On that occasion, he clearly outpointed Red Hare King by a margin of two lengths and is now a further one-pound better off at the weights.
Tough and wide journeys have contributed to his unlucky defeats since, but this time he is drawn for the run of the race from gate three and should be in the right place before delivering his strong finishing-kick to good effect down the home straight.
Trainer Ng, who once again took the lead in the trainers’ title race with a double at Sha Tin on Monday, looks to have a ready-made winner in BEAUTY WAVES, who can prove hard to beat in the main event on the card, the Briar Handicap (12.10pm) over five furlongs.
This striking chestnut gelding steps up into Class Two company for the first time, after just missing out in a photo to Midori Beauty on his most recent start over this course and distance in May, when giving away 18lbs to that rival.
He now carries 17lbs less in the saddle, and with a low draw, and an in-form Karis Teetan doing the steering, he should prove hard to beat.
POINTERS
Beauty Waves 12.10pm Happy Valley
Zoom Boom 3.15pm Happy Valley