Last Sunday, a record 3,800 athletes with intellectual disabilities and their partner runners competed in the i-Run – Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon to promote social inclusion. Funded by the Charities Trust with a HK$6.82 million donation over three years, the i-Run organized by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals was a rousing success and even featured 90 members of the Club’s CARE@HKJC Volunteer Team serving as pair-up runners or on-site helpers. My sincere thanks to all who participated in what was a most memorable event.
We had a Saturday meeting last week and John Size and John Moore scored a double and hat-trick respectively, each sitting in first and second place of the trainers’ premiership table for the first time this season. These two leading trainers again deploy a strong hand of elite horses in two upcoming pattern races, the G1 Stewards’ Cup and G2 Centenary Sprint Cup to be held on the Lunar New Year raceday on 30 January.
Big names such as Able Friend, Beauty Only, Designs On Rome, Aerovelocity, Lucky Bubbles, also our reigning Horse of the Year Werther, are all in the entries list of these two events. A few of them further sharpened their condition by participating in the barrier trials at Sha Tin yesterday morning. Having watched that in person yesterday, I think all of them are in fine shape, with Lucky Bubbles and Aerovelocity faring best with their “wins” in their respective heats.
Having spelled for a long time, Werther also did well behind Lucky Bubbles, and he dealt with the sprinting distance with ease. I believe their presence on the Lunar New Year race meeting will create much buzz and great anticipation from racing fans, drawing even more to come experience the cracking atmosphere on the day.
We still have three more race meetings before the big meeting on 30 January, and tonight our highlight is the Class 1 Penfold Park Handicap over 1200m. The field includes Dundonnell and Fabulous One, a couple of top runners who will take this test before their possible trip to Dubai for the Carnival races in the next two months.
The pace in this race is projected to be good to fast as nearly half of this smaller field want to go forward. Fabulous One is very quick and should go to the front with Wah May Friend and Almababy, with ten pound claimer Dylan Mo aboard, also prominent. Pablosky recently showed speed in a barrier trial and while he might want to be handy, is likely outpaced and should settle midpack. Born In China will likely be midpack with Dundonnell too, while Eroico and Happy Surveys should be near the rear.
This is a very competitive event and I would not be surprised if any of the six top-rated horses won. Dundonnell is particularly interesting on pedigree as his sire was a Group 1 winner over 1400m on dirt in America and his dam is a full sibling to the great sire Danehill. With that lineage, he should surely enjoy a race on dirt. His work has been strong on the surface and I will make him my narrow win selection. Wah May Friend steps up to Class 1 and gets a 15-pound weight break over his previous effort, when wide early on the first turn without cover. Now drawn in barrier two with Moreira, he should get a better trip but I wonder if the good-to-fast pace might be too much. Pablosky is the only horse in this race with a course and distance win and deserves respect. I have him as a win and place chance. Fabulous One has been OK in his work, but could run out of fitness in the final stages being his first race since June, so is just a placing chance for me.
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