Hong Kong form expert Luke Middlebrook provides his thoughts on every race at the Hong Kong meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday, 9 March.
May be over a year and a half between wins, but his recent runs have been encouraging. He drew wide last start and was held up from the 400m until passing the 200m before closing off nicely into fifth. In an open Class 5, he gets his chance.
Selections: 7-10-1-6
Appears to be a handy newcomer for the David Hayes yard, having trialled well on four occasions in Hong Kong, showing good gate speed that he should utilise here to put himself into a winning position on debut.
Selections: 7-4-8-6
Has shown plenty of promise at the trials for the David Hayes stable, as well as in Australia, where he trialled under the name Merchant Of Cool. He looks well-prepared to kick off his career on a winning note.
Selections: 4-2-1-6
Now third-up, and looks ready to fire after two very encouraging runs over 1400m, finishing close up in strong form races, including a last-start fourth behind the rising Sky Jewellery. The step up to the mile is right up his alley.
Selections: 5-2-3-11
Is racing in a rich vein of form, and since returning to Class 4, he has been up against it from wide draws yet has still closed in hard to finish second on each occasion. With any amount of luck in running, he can go one place better.
Selections: 10-5-2-11
Is ready for the rise to 1400m after solid runs over the unsuitable trips of 1000m and 1200m, performing well on each occasion. He has since won a trial in good fashion, and despite this being one of the more competitive races on the card, he is in with a strong winning shot.
Selections: 9-2-5-7
Can be followed up on his latest win, having trialled well between runs and meeting a similar field. It will come down to position in running and race shape, as there is little separating the leading contenders.
Selections: 5-7-3-4
Finds one of the weaker races he has contested in quite some time, which sets him up well as a winning chance. Without the likes of Ka Ying Rising, Helios Express, and Howdeepisyourlove—who were the only ones to finish ahead of him in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint—he gets his opportunity. His last start over 1400m can be overlooked, as it was an unsuitable trip.
Selections: 1-3-2-6
Aims to make it four from four and steps into new territory as he rises to 1400m for the first time. He’s hard to fault, having overcome wide draws in all three wins to date, and remains the one to beat.
Selections: 1-9-11-5
Drew wide, settled back, and made a sweeping wide run from the 800m last time, so his sixth-place finish was a much stronger effort than it appears on paper. It was a solid run against the race shape, and a significant drop in weight here makes him a strong chance to bounce back in a big way.
Selections: 10-13-11-6
Put behind him a few luckless runs to break through impressively in Hong Kong last start, overcoming a wide draw to win going away by over two lengths. The four-year-old is on an upward trend and can go on with it.
Selections: 4-8-6-9