Our Hong Kong expert Graham Cunningham takes a look Wednesday's Happy Valley card live on Sky Sports Racing.
Angus trebles up as Andrea eyes fifty
Foreign stars have long been central to the success of HK racing but Sunday at Sha Tin was a day for homegrown heroes.
Ten of eleven winners were trained by Hong Kong handlers, with Francis Lui and Chris So saddling a double apiece.
So recorded his 400th HK success when Hong Lok Golf landed the finale under Harry Bentley but local boy Angus Chung stole the show, winning on Parents’ Love and Gustosisimo for Tony Cruz then completing a first Sha Tin treble when the likeable Divano landed the featured Class 1 for Lui.
“It’s great to get a chance on good horses,” said Chung, who was HK’s leading homegrown rider last season and is keen to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Vincent Ho this summer with a working trip to the UK.
Andrea Atzeni moved within ten of a first half century on Ahren but the horse who has contributed five to his total will be moving on as Beauty Destiny ran badly in the Class 2 sprint and will be barred from racing again in HK having bled for a second time.
Power and Wings a potent pair
Now to a nine-race midweek card at Happy Valley that sees a couple of British imports cross swords in the Violet Handicap at 1.10.
A Chelmsford winner for Charles Hills when known simply as Koepp back in 2020, POWER KOEPP had dropped to a very handy mark when dominating Class 4 rivals over course and distance last month.
An 8lb rise for the return to Class 3 poses a trickier question but Power Koepp looks sure to go close again and WINGS OF WAR – who won the 2021 Mill Reef for Clive Cox – is another to have on your side after catching the eye enduring a tough trip from a wide gate on his latest start.
Coming on a Bundle
There’s a little over £180,000 in the pot for the second division of the Violet Handicap at 2.10 but it doesn’t look a deep affair and BUNDLE OF CHARM and KING MILES are a handy pair against the field.
Bundle Of Charm is 0-12 this season but he’s dropped a good way in the handicap (96-80) and a repeat of the form he showed to finish third in a much deeper race won by Beauty Destiny over course and distance four weeks ago will take him close from gate 2 under French star Alexis Badel.
KING MILES isn’t so well drawn in stall 9 – and his bare form figures suggest he hasn’t progressed this season – but he got no luck whatsoever from the widest barrier last time and much better can be expected if Lyle Hewitson can find smoother sailing.
Glory B to Hugh
Zac Purton has several fair chances on the second half of Wednesday’s card and Loving Vibes, a solid second at Sha Ton on all his last three starts, gets the champion’s services for the first time in the Dianthus Handicap at 2.45.
Stall 7 doesn’t look too bad for the chestnut but GLORY B has improved at the Valley on his last two starts – winning gamely before finishing a clear second in a race that’s worked out well – and Hughie Bowman’s mount gets the vote in a Class 4 where half the field look hard to fancy.
Embraces to clinch another success
Half the field for the concluding Chamomile Handicap at 3.50 are much easier to fancy and the pace for this £200,000 Class 3 should be true thanks to Highland Rahy.
I don’t fancy the hat-trick seeker to go all the way again after a 6lb hike and Aestheticism is up 7lb after ending a frustrating run with authority under Zac two weeks ago.
All things considered, a main course of EMBRACES with a small side of STURDY RUBY could be the way to go here.
Embraces has made fine progress for Cody Mo this season – winning twice with several fine efforts in defeat – and the way he galloped on for second in a strong form race at Sha Tin last time suggests he’s still ahead of the game from a mark of 72.
Keith Yeung faces a challenge on Sturdy Ruby, who’s drawn the outside gate in 12, but this progressive grey warrants a saver after several good efforts, the latest a solid second in a tactical race where he had to sit and suffer briefly swinging for home.
Wednesday’s Valley Views
- 1.10: Power Koepp/Wings of War
- 2.10: Bundle of Charm/King Miles
- 2.45: Glory B
- 3.50: Embraces/Sturdy Ruby
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