Our Hong Kong expert Graham Cunningham takes a look at Wednesday's Happy Valley card live on Sky Sports Racing.
Size and Bowman shine as Atzeni locks in his Derby ride
Several things became clear after a powerful storm moved away from Sha Tin on Saturday afternoon.
Sunlight Power was an ironic winner of the feature under Hughie Bowman and the Aussie is rolling into Derby week in fine form after a weekend treble.
Bang-in-form John Size also sealed a treble and would have made it four but for Sky Jewellery’s inability to keep straight in the finale.
Andrea Atzeni found the key to the luckless Lifeline Express before revealing that he will be back aboard live Derby hope Johannes Brahmas this Sunday.
And the Sardinian heads to Happy Valley on Wednesday to rekindle a lucrative relationship with a horse who has morphed from tail flashing loser to serial winner since this time last year.
Aurora meets his date with Destiny
Reformed character Beauty Destiny has rattled off four wins at the Valley since November – rising from a mark of 51 to 86 in the process – and the style of his latest win suggests there could be more to come.
But double figure draws over 1200m on the B course are tricky to overcome, with horses drawn 10 a measly 2-100 in recent years.
It would be wrong to put a line through Frankie Lor’s gelding for the Sports Handicap (2.50) purely because of his wide gate but that, allied to a 9lb hike, might tilt the scales in favour of fellow major improver AURORA LADY.
Pierre Ng’s gelding is another with four Valley wins on his dance card this term, the latest a decisive success under Atzeni three weeks ago.
The Sardinian sticks with Beauty Destiny having been with him all season but that choice was made before the draw was published.
Aurora Lady looks perfectly placed to lead or stalk the pace from the inside alley and, with ambitious Aussie Jimmy Orman aboard, he looks well set to go close again.
Newnham has the Power
Stable switches can be very significant in HK – even if the horse is only walking to a nearby barn – and the fact that POWER KOEPP has left Manfred Man for Mark Newnham ahead of the Wong Nai Chung Handicap (11.35) looks notable.
It isn’t that Man has been struggling but Newnham is pushing for a top three place and he’s inherited a well-treated horse who has dropped more than 20lb in the ratings since his last win in the spring of 2023.
Yes, that drop is due to a long losing run but Power Koepp has run well on both his last two starts, finishing third in a Class 3 at Sha Tin then showing good speed for a long way when fourth on his Class 4 debut at the Valley.
Power Koepp travelled strongly in a well-run race that night, going through the first 800m faster than a pair of later Class 3 contests. Stall 2 looks ideal for his Newnham debut and, with Bowman booked, he looks to have plenty in his favour.
Parents’ ready to lay the law down
Aggressive front runners make for a great sight in Valley sprints but the fine line between putting rivals in trouble and going off too hard is one that can be tricky to tread.
Step forward Youthful Spirits and Parents’ Love, who return to the Valley with solid claims provided Luke Ferraris and Angus Chung get the fractions right.
Youthful Spirits has been blazing away to no avail all season – most recently when tiring badly over 1200m last week – and I suspect I’ll pass in the Percival Handicap (11.05) even though he’s back at the right trip in a shallower race.
Now to PARENTS’ LOVE, who has the inside gate for his rematch with Plentiful in the HKFC Centenary Cup at 1.05.
Plentiful powered clear late when this pair met over course and distance last month but Matt Chadwick overdid the forcing tactics on Parents’ Love, blitzing through the first 600m in 33.33s and setting things up perfectly for the progressive winner.
All things considered, Tony Cruz’s gelding did well to finish a clear second that night. A 9lb pull with Plentiful is attractive, as is Chung’s 3lb claim, and Parents’ Love can prove he’s still very fairly treated granted a little more patience from the saddle.
Purton in swoop mode
Most pieces of the Derby puzzle are in place but final declarations are only made on Thursday and Zac Purton has hinted at a twist in the plot by telling Jack Dawling of idolhorse.com that he is back on the market.
Purton has been absent since a heavy fall on February 9th left him with a nasty toe injury but the seven-time champion has been cleared to return by a specialist and reports that he is ready to “swoop in at the 11th hour” if a suitable slot arises.
Time will tell whether a slot does arise but Purton has ridden most of the leading Derby contenders at least once – and a few rival riders will be checking their phones anxiously over the next 48 hours.
Wednesday’s Valley Views
- 11.35: Power Koepp
- 1.05: Parents’ Love
- 2.50: Aurora Lady
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