English FA Cup football was on TV at the weekend and I managed to briefly watch some of the action while at home. With the tournament being famous for seeing minnows producing giant-killing performances in defeating top-class opponents, you could naturally foresee some unexpected results, and sure enough, the weekend saw a total of five Premier League teams crash out of the competition after registering losses to opponents from lower divisions.
The largest upset of all was Norwich City’s defeat to non-league Luton Town at home. Luton were themselves flying high in England’s top division when a non-league outfit defeated top-flight opposition in the FA Cup last time, some 25 years ago! Liverpool's defeat to League One opponents Oldham was also a notable one. Although some might argue that some of these top teams just fielded under-strength sides for their games, the achievements of their lesser opponents should not be undervalued – those players gave their all for their teams and showed their grit throughout the matches to pull off these surprising results. The desire of these sportsmen to succeed against the odds is a beautiful side of football. It was certainly a memorable weekend for these lesser clubs and their supporters, and the players’ efforts to secure these triumphs will go down in their Club folklore.
These “David and Goliath” stories add to the magic of sport and we see them often in racing too. Eagle Regiment stepped out of Class 2 and delivered a blow against the big guns last year when winning the HKG1 Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup to give trainer Manfred Man a first career G1 success. At Sha Tin on Sunday, the horse returned as one of the favourites for this year’s renewal and produced a brilliant display to claim the title once again. In doing so, Eagle Regiment became the latest star sprinter to score back-to-back victories in the 1000m speed test. Despite suffering from a health setback that kept him off the track for almost a year, the horse did not show any rustiness but delivered a sharp and emphatic performance.
Eagle Regiment has now accumulated seven wins and three seconds in his 10 starts over 1000m at Sha Tin, reflecting his prowess over races at this distance. I would like to congratulate his trainer Manfred Man for his good training effort, as it’s always difficult for a horse to come back and perform after such a long spell. It also requires the total trust, patience and support of the horse’s owner, in this case Mr Cheng Ka Shing who has been rewarded handsomely for his faith.
I know that after Sunday’s success the connections are planning to run the horse in the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai, the race they were targeting when the horse suffered an injury last year. Rather different from Hong Kong, I think Dubai is a very special place with a totally different climate and racing environment. That’s why experience is always of huge importance when connections consider sending horses to compete there. Eagle Regiment’s connections lacked a bit of luck in Dubai last time but that experience could well be valuable for Manfred’s preparations this year. I wish them better luck this time and let’s see how his horse fares in the next couple of weeks.
The race’s runner-up, a new up-and-coming sprinter Frederick Engels, also put in a decent performance. Although it was the first time for him tackling the 1000m distance in Hong Kong, he still delivered a great turn of foot and clocked the fastest last sectional of 22.01 seconds. I hope this exciting four-year-old can keep improving and perform well in his next target, possibly the HKG1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize on 17 February.
Back to tonight’s races, the Tsing Yi Handicap – a decent Class 2 races over 1650m – is the highlight of the day from the horse quality perspective. The pace is expected to be good to slow which gives a slight advantage to horses in the front of the field, especially on the C+3 course where it is more difficult to make up ground.
King Of Reason has no strong pace rivals and should have no problem getting across to take up his usual leading role from Gate 11. Business As Usual can take the box seat on the inside of Racing Hero, who from Gate 10 has to push forward to avoid being trapped wide. Jun Gong from Gate 2 and Splendid Victory from Gate 1 may be well placed in midfield on or near the rail, with Perfect Cheers from Gate 6 will try to find a good position in midfield. Banksters Bonus and Winning Edge – both of whom are not drawn particularly well tonight – may be taken back to avoid racing wide.
Jun Gong is Group 3-placed over 1600m in Flemington and his last run over 1200m in Happy Valley was encouraging. He has reached full fitness and is working well. With Howard Cheng on board he is my first pick. Perfect Cheers is in good form too and ready to win. He will be partnered by Zac Purton tonight and I think he will have a good win and place chance. Business As Usual is coming back to his best and is a place chance as is Racing Hero. Splendid Victory should not be underestimated. He run well in his first start in Hong Kong and has improved in his work as well as finishing second in a Happy Valley barrier trial. Being a twice Listed winner over the demanding 1400m course in Longchamp and also placed in a G2 at 2, this French import will be an interesting place chance in this race.
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