I hope that you have enjoyed the full range of Chinese New Year festivities with friends and family over the last few days. We had a wonderful race meeting on Sunday with an incredibly fun and festive atmosphere.
My many congratulations to the connections of Singapore Sling who won the HK$10 million Hong Kong Classic Cup, the second leg of our Four-Year-Old Classic Series. His performances in Hong Kong since debuting locally on 26 November should not be understated given he arrived from South Africa following a six-month quarantine procedure which is currently required for all of their exports.
After his solid local debut when sixth on that day, he won at Happy Valley when rallying late followed by his strong second to Nothingilikemore in the Classic Mile. Sunday’s win in the Classic Cup was the second fastest renewal of the race from 13 runnings at Sha Tin over 1800m, slower by just 0.01s recorded by Rapper Dragon a year ago.
What makes this success most impressive is that Singapore Sling has quickly acclimatized to Hong Kong after being out of training for more than seven months, all told, given the quarantine requirements. Prior to coming to Hong Kong, his last race in South Africa was in late January 2017 and he begin light work in Hong Kong in early September. By contrast, privately purchased horses from other jurisdictions may be out of training for only two months.
The Club has worked in recent years with South African and international experts to help with the scientific studies that could alleviate this long process and potentially open the market for Hong Kong Owners to more directly purchase from South Africa. Of course, for the first time ever, our team purchased four horses at South Africa’s Cape Thoroughbred Sale in January and they will be prepared for our Hong Kong International Sale in 2019. Singapore Sling was a graduate of that sale and now will hope to continue his run of success in the BMW Hong Kong Derby on 18 March.
Sunday’s meeting was also a big day for his jockey, Chad Schofield, who also took the Chinese New Year Cup with Dundonnell. Chad recorded four wins on the day in total, a personal best for him in Hong Kong, and moved to sixth in the premiership.
Tonight at Happy Valley is the final meeting in the Hong Kong Airlines Million Challenge and we will award HK$1 million to the Owners of the most successful horses since the start of the season in the city track’s Class 3 races or above. This is the first year of our partnership with Hong Kong Airlines and it has been a very enjoyable one, especially for many of our racing fans which have won free flights to more than a dozen destinations.
There are five horses which can win the Million Challenge tonight and many possible permutations, but they will all have to beat Charity Glory, who currently leads the series with 49 total points and starts in Race 8. The other four horses with a chance to claim the first prize are: E-Super (Race 6 #10), Bank On Red (Race 7 #2), Super Fluke (Race 6 #7) and Who Else But You (Race 8 #8).
Looking at the chances of these five horses, I will start with Race 6, which is the Class 1 Happy Valley Trophy Handicap, run over 1200m of the C Course. The pace is expected to be good-to-fast and that could aid the horses that might settle just off the pace. While he is drawn in barrier 10, Super Fluke has been in top form this season, with four wins from five starts, all with Brett Prebble aboard, and rising 28 points in the handicap. E-Super is at the bottom of the handicap and will carry just 111 pounds, and is facing a significant class test. He was beaten by Super Fluke two starts back and was only one-paced in his most recent effort last week. This is a very competitive race.
For me, my top selection is Born In China, who is back to his ideal trip at Happy Valley, where he has three wins and four placings from eight attempts. House Of Fun should get an ideal trip from an inside barrier just off the pace. Perpetual Joyance, a course and distance winner on three occasions, most recently in January, is a win and place chance as well and could land one of the minor placings in the Million Challenge. Super Fluke is another with a claim, though I tend to think his wide draw does hurt his chances a bit.
Race 7 is the Class 3 Sing Woo Handicap run over 1800m and Bank On Red returns to the Happy Valley grass following two respectable fourth placings on the dirt track. He was twice a winner and twice third over 1650m this season to put him a standalone fourth in the Million Challenge standings going into tonight’s race. The pace is projected to be slow with Bank On Red sitting just off the lead and saving ground from an inside barrier according to the speed map, which could give him a decent chance in this race. While there is not a confirmed leader in this field, both Super Chic and King Of Mongolia could take that role, with Ensuring at risk of being trapped wide under Moreira. My main win and place chance is King Of Mongolia, whose runs at Happy Valley over the 1800m this season have been incredibly consistent. He is normally placed towards the front and a nice draw in four should see him assume a similar position. Sangria is likely to be disadvantaged by the projected pace, but clearly enjoyed the step to 1800m last time and carrying only 117 pounds with a good draw could see him in the frame. Bank On Red should track the leader and I think he is a win and place hope, which could be very interesting going into the last race of the Million Challenge. Super Chic is also a place chance for me.
Race 8 is the Blue Pool Handicap, a Class 3 event run over 1200m. The pace is expected to be good with Fortune Bo Bo, Charity Glory and Who Else But You all racing with prominence. Flying Tourbillon should settle behind them with Comfort Life nearby. Ivictory makes his Happy Valley debut after winning four from five starts at Sha Tin and is at risk of a wide run from barrier 11.
Ivictory was impressive in his return from injury last time, and his July win over Fifty Fifty, who is entered for Sunday’s Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, stands out in his form. He continues to work well and has also trialed well on two occasions at Happy Valley. He is my win and place selection. Charity Glory’s broke quickly last time and led over the last 800m, the first time he had been that far forward at that point of the race from his previous eight seasonal runs. Who Else But You chased Charity Glory in that race and faded late. He will likely have to cover more ground. Both horses seem place chances only given the presence of Ivictory. Relative to the Million Challenge, Charity Glory’s seems more likely to run a placing and earn him some additional points which might be required as Super Fluke and Bank On Red seem to be good chances in the previous races. Radiant Steed has been very strong in his last two wins and is working very well. I see him an outside chance for a win, but more a place hope. Comfort Life trialed well at Happy Valley in December and ran well in his first local start. He can run a placing with some improvement on that last start.
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