Horse Racing

Hong Kong form expert Luke Middlebrook provides his thoughts on every race at the Hong Kong meeting at Happy Valley on Wednesday 8 July. Happy Valley Race 1 3 Happy United Open Race time:  3 Happy United ticks plenty of boxes as he tries to snap a 903-day run without a win, dropping into Class 5 for the first time with barrier 1 and Zac Purton aboard. Purton has not ridden him since a third in January last year, and this looks the right set-up for him to break through.  Selections: 3-8-2-1 Bet Now Happy Valley Race 2 2 Charming Legend…

Te Aroha hosts a seven-race program on Sunday, with the track rated a Heavy9 and the rail. A clear forecast over the weekend should see the surface improve towards a Heavy8 come the first on the card. Selections for each of the seven races below: Te Aroha Race 1 6 Leitrim Lad Each Way Leitrim Lad (#6) finished 2nd here in an Open Steeplechase behind Lord Spencer last month and looks well placed back in a 0-1 win hurdle today, despite much of his better jumping form coming over the bigger fences. Expecting Emily Farr to be positive early and…

Te Rapa hosts an eight-race program on Saturday, with the track rated a Heavy8 and the rail out 12m. A clear forecast through raceday should see the surface come up closer to a Soft6 or Soft7 come race one.  Selections for each of the eight races below:  Te Rapa Race 1 2 The Darzi The Darzi (#2) is a 3yo son of Hello Youmzain heading here at just his fourth career start for the O’Sullivan/Scott stable. He didn’t have all favours late in the piece when finishing 4th at Ellerslie, where he was making up good ground from the back before encountering traffic in the straight. The way he…

Waverley hosts a nine-race program on Saturday, with the track rated a Heavy8 and the rail in the true position. A clear forecast through till raceday should see the surface hopefully improve into the Soft range come race one. Selections for each of the nine races below: Waverley Race 1 8 La Florida La Florida (#8) is a dual acceptor here and in R3, and looks hard to beat wherever Shane Crawford elects to line her up. She comes here off an eye-catching last-start 2nd at Te Rapa, where she was seen flooding home from the back, and the form out of that race…

The Sunshine Coast hosts the final meeting of the Queensland Racing Carnival on Saturday, with Caloundra Cup Day offering a competitive nine-race program. Feature racing is spread across the card through the Group 3 Winx Guineas, the Listed Caloundra Cup, and the Listed Glasshouse Handicap. For punters, it provides one final winter carnival challenge before attention turns elsewhere. The track is currently rated a Heavy 8, and while fine weather in the lead-up gives the surface an opportunity to improve before race day, the possibility of late showers on Saturday means track updates should be monitored closely. The rail will…

Awapuni Synthetic hosts a six-race program on Friday. Selections for each of the six races below: Awapuni Synthetic Race 1 2 Laser Beam Laser Beam (#2) ran an improved race last start on the Cambridge Synthetic, leading at modest fractions and fighting on fairly for 4th. That was his first run since joining the Peter & Jessica Brosnan stable and he should only be better for that outing heading here. He maps to lead again as he likes, in a race that looks devoid of any pressure on paper. Expect him to prove hard to reel in if he gets…

It’s the postponed Wellington Steeplechase and Hurdle Day at Trentham on Thursday, with the track rated a Heavy10 and the rail out 6m. Clear yet cool conditions are forecast, and the surface is expected to remain a Heavy10 for the duration of the nine-race card. Selections for each of the nine races below: Trentham Race 1 1 Saint Bernard Tip of The Day Saint Bernard (#1) gave a good sight last start when running 2nd here at this course and distance in the Manawatu Steeplechase, where it took a progressive jumper in Never Look Back to run him down. He…