On Tuesday, Joao Moreira spoke to the media and stated that he thought Zac Purton was going to get past him in the mouth-watering Jockeys’ premiership, but Purton was not convinced, citing Moreira’s support from leading trainer John Size and his advantage of being able to accept quality light-weight rides.
The duo showed their grit at Sha Tin on Wednesday night as they remained all square, each riding two winners to maintain Moreira’s two-win lead. With the premiership leader set to serve a two-day suspension after Sunday’s meeting, he will no doubt hope to build a bigger buffer on Sunday in the hope that he can maintain the lead while he is out.
It will be a dream weekend for those who love overseas racing, as we will simulcast a total of eight races from three countries. For the first time, our fans can follow the Greyville 2000 races live from South Africa tonight, before taking in the more familiar action from Epsom as the world waits to see which three-year-old takes top honours in this year’s Derby.
Tomorrow, Hong Kong fans will have eyes on Japan as one of our top milers, the Size-trained Western Express, takes part in the G1 Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo. While Hong Kong has produced many great milers in recent years, we have not had as much success in the Yasuda Kinen as we have enjoyed in the Japanese sprints. Bullish Luck was our last Yasuda Kinen winner in 2006, while the Size-trained Armada in 2008 was the last Hong Kong miler placed in the race.
I will be trackside in Tokyo tomorrow for the Yasuda Kinen, with the meeting also featuring the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy earlier in the card. As usual, I will be cheering from the grandstand, and hope Western Express can produce a strong effort.
Although I am in Tokyo, I will be paying attention to our races at Sha Tin, as former Horse of the Year Werther, another top horse potentially bound for Japan and the G1 Takarazuka Kinen later this month, will make his return to the races in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy tomorrow, which goes as Race 7.
Carrying top-weight he will be facing nine opponents in this 1600m handicap. The expected pace of this race is good with The Golden Age and Classic Emperor expected to go forward. Packing Dragon and Prawn Baba should track the speed with Romantic Touch in danger of being caught wide. Werther and Dinozzo are likely to settle midpack with Sichuan Dar and Joyful Trinity behind. Beauty Only will likely have to come from well off the pace, as is his normal style.
Werther is our former Horse of the Year and returning a three-month break, but it is worth noting he has just one win from six races over 1600m in Hong Kong. He is well at the top of the handicap in this race, giving plenty of weight to his rivals, and has to be the main selection given his class. Beauty Only is the best horse in this race at the distance and if the rain stays away, he could get ideal conditions to show his best form again. He ran on very well in the Champions Mile and was only beaten less than two lengths, which makes him very competitive here.
The Golden Age continues to be consistent going forward and showing plenty of fight. With such a big spread in the weights, he could go forward under Moreira and take some catching. I give him a small win chance, though he is a greater placing hope. Prawn Baba has been in top form of late and is an intriguing player for the minor spots.
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