Hong Kong form expert Luke Middlebrook provides his thoughts on every race at the Hong Kong meeting at Happy Valley on Wednesday 27 May.
3 Solar River drops into Class 5 and has trialled well leading into this run. He has a couple of encouraging third-place finishes to his name from four and five starts ago, and that form stands him in good stead to break through today.
Selections: 3-6-10-8
7 Rosewood Fleetfoot has been coming on with each run since joining Ricky Yiu’s stable four starts ago and put the writing on the wall last start with a fast-finishing second over 1,800m at Sha Tin.
Selections: 7-1-2-6
1 Withallmyfaith makes a strong case dropping into Class 4 for the first time, with Purton riding him for the first time as well. He is a horse who likes to lead, and from barrier 3 in a race without much speed on paper, he should get every chance in the run.
Selections: 1-3-10-6
5 Bright Day has been running well against adversity in two starts since going down by half a length in a race of this nature. Two back, he was held up in the concluding stages from barrier 10, while last start at Sha Tin he struck a slowly run race and his fast-finishing fourth carried merit. Barrier 1 gives him every chance to atone today.
Selections: 5-3-7-1
2 Armor Golden Eagle has made a rapid rise in the ratings since switching to this track and distance three runs ago, when he led all the way to score by a neck at the top of Class 4. He then ran a luckless third back in Class 3 before atoning in style, drawing clear by over three lengths. The 10-point rise is the query off that, but his trial since was full of promise.
Selections: 2-3-9-8
9 Elegant Life comes off a seventh where he began only fairly, never travelled well throughout, but still hit the line strongly late. Fownes has given him a 49-day freshen, his lead-in trial was sound and, from barrier 3, his map is good enough for him to bounce back to winning form.
Selections: 9-8-1-5
9 Lucky McQueen comes off a series of runs from wide draws, which have not helped his chances. Barrier 6 and Moreira taking the ride are serious upgrades and can see him bounce back to winning ways.
Selections: 9-11-1-2
1 Horsepower arrives off back-to-back seconds and is ready to win another race when the race shape unfolds to suit. The pace looks genuine here, which should allow him to work into it late.
Selections: 1-10-7-2
11 Robot Lucky Star has trialled well twice since a fair first-up run in mid-April, with both pieces of work showing enough improvement to suggest he can run a race second-up. Barrier 1 sets him up for a great run in transit and he will take some beating.
Selections: 11-9-8-1