We were very glad to have Mr. Karsten Tietz, Deputy Consul General of Germany in Hong Kong, join us for the kick-off ceremony of our Oktoberfest celebrations at Happy Valley on Thursday. Combined with the holiday and this being one of our most popular annual events at Happy Valley, I’m sure our fans enjoyed the great atmosphere, particularly in the Beer Garden. The Oktoberfest parties continue for the next three Wednesdays and I hope to see you there.
My home country’s national football team, Germany, gave me the same satisfaction as on the same night they secured a 3-1 win against Northern Ireland in Belfast to seal their World Cup spot in Russia next year. The final stages of World Cup qualifying continue and I’m sure some football fans might be a bit concerned as Argentina are actually on the brink of elimination in South America. Let’s see if they can win their last qualifier in Ecuador and stand for a chance to progress on Sunday.
On racing, our champion jockey Joao Moreira scored a double to end his drought at Happy Valley over the past few weeks. It’s also good to see veteran French jockey Olivier Doleuze returning to the winning circle, as he partnered Jumbo Happiness to get his first win of the season.
Racing returns to Sha Tin tomorrow as we have 10 races on the card, including the Class 2 Yeung Uk Handicap which will be run as the last race of the day. The expected pace of this 1400m event is good to slow, which should allow horses coming from the back to be competitive if the pace does not slow down too much.
Fifty Fifty has not led before but might go forward in this spot with Almababy a potential leader too. Lucky Dollar, Super Lifeline and Big Bang Bong should settle behind the speed with California Whip and Little Dragon in midfield. Racing Supernova is likely to race from midfield or farther back with Green Card. California Joy and Simply Invincible might be near the rear.
Fifty Fifty is the clear favourite on his trackwork and latest form, and with a step up to 1400m, it should suit him more when looking at his NZ form. He should be capable to manage to go from Class 3 to Class 2, and having only raced two times in Hong Kong, it would suggest further upside is possible.
His main rivals should come from proven Class 2 horses like Racing Supernova and Super Lifeline with Healthy Joyful, Green Card and Lucky Dollar as place chances.
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