International Racing: Happy Valley (Turf) – Wednesday 22 January 2020

After an exhilarating feature race day last Sunday, we turn our attention to the Valley course this Wednesday 22nd January 2020. 

The race for the prestigious title of Hong Kong Champion Jockey is certainly heating up, with current champion Zac Purton (54 winners) sitting just 5 winners behind current leader Joao Moreira who has 59 wins under his belt so far. The former, however, has his smallest book of rides this season, with just 5 rides on the night and he will certainly be giving his all to reduce the gap with the current leader. His best ride on the night appears to come in the last race (9), in the form of WINNING METHOD. Grant van Niekerk partnered the son of Holy Roman Emperor last time out and he misses out this time due to suspension.

Best Bet: DOR DOR (Race 6)
Value Bet: STAR MAJESTIC (Race 4)

The meeting kicks off with a Class 5 event over 2200m and despite the level of class in the field being moderate, the race presents a difficult conundrum for punters to make sense of. WICKER could be the one to beat after showing plenty of resolve to box on late in his last start and he will relish stepping up to a trip where he finished 4th in his first attempt at the 11-furlongs, just three starts back. The biggest danger comes in the form of ROMANTIC JOURNEY who finished just behind him in his latest outing and from a much-improved draw, Moreira knows him well enough to make a nuisance of himself.

COMPASSION STAR looks well placed to in the 2nd race on the card, where the son of Bullbars finds a near-perfect draw to build on his solid recent form. Sylvestre de Sousa claims the ride and if finding a bit more luck in running this time, he should give his followers a good run for their money.
THIS IS CHARISMA has only had the two starts so far and the son of Smart Missile will also be looking for a bit more luck in running here. He has a tricky draw to negate in the third event, a Class 4 test over the 1200m and he’ll certainly benefit from the 3-pound claiming Wong who takes the ride this time. Weighted to finish even closer to major contender CALIFORNIA RAD, who beat him by just the 1,75-lengths last time out, he has the scope for further improvement and should be worth following.

The value bet on the card comes in the next race, a Class 4 event over 1650m. The Paul O’Sullivan trained STAR MAJESTIC steps up in trip and the 9-year old campaigner should benefit from the reduced class here. He clearly knows how to win over this trip and from a useful draw, he should be involved in the finish, having picked up 7 wins from 23 efforts over this course and distance. He seems to have found the right field and that could provide a nice opportunity for apprentice Ho to pick up his second winner this term.

Unexposed form lines will greet punters in the 5th race, but if punters discount the first-timers, SUPER WINNER looks to be the obvious choice. The bang in form Karis Teetan sticks with the ride having gone close on the son of Guillotine last time out and he’ll be looking for a much smoother path through here, having found traffic in the closing stages in his latest effort. From a perfect draw, he has the scope to win at just the 6th time of asking. VERY SWEET ORANGE is in good enough form to feature, especially with the 10-pound claiming Chan up, but he faces a tough challenge from gate 10.

The 6th race presents a nice opportunity for punters to have a confident bet. DOR DOR lands the tag of the best bet on the program and with Moreira taking the mount, it’s hard to look past him. Drawn well, he has the credentials over this course and distance to be very hard to beat. The biggest danger appears to be SANGRIA who certainly benefitted from the blinkers last time out. The 7-year old son of American Post has 42 starts to his name and he knows his way around a racecourse. He lines up 6-pounds better off at the weights with the former on his last start and if displaying the same resolve he showed in that run, he could upset.

Race 7 offers the final opportunity for punters to find a straight treble on the card. ZHAN JIANG ROCKS has found some consistent form since returning this term and with Teetan retaining the ride, he could just build on that impressive last effort over the same course and distance. He likes this course and distance and despite the recent rise in class, he has more than proved himself at this level and he should land the lions share of the prize money. FLYING QUEST finally lands a draw and with the 10-pound claiming Chan taking the mount, he appears to be the biggest danger to the former, as he lines up 8-pounds better off with the top selection on their latest meeting.

Race 8 is the second of three Class 3 events for punters to get involved in. BEAUTY SPARK has dropped to a competitive looking mark of 67and he is clearly improving with the drop in ratings. A repeat of his latest effort over this course and distance should bring him right into the equation. Drawn well once again, he has picked up 2 wins from 7 career outings and he will have plenty of scope to build on that much improved latest effort over the same course and distance. PRIVATE ROCKET should be the main danger to consider, with Karis Teetan picking up the ride for the first time and if building on his last three starts, he’ll be right there.

The final event brings us to a race packed with class and it also presents one of the toughest events to make sense of. QUADRUPLE DOUBLE lands an improved draw and he is certainly at home over this trip. The rise into this class last time proved that he is more than capable at this level and from pole position he will be looking to employ his usual front running tactics. He won his two prior starts and the progressive son of Zoustar should have what it takes to finish off the meeting in fine style for his followers. The danger, FRESH POWER, found all sorts of traffic problems last time and de Sousa will be looking to make good use of his improved barrier. He has only had the two starts at this level, both coming in his last two starts and with a bit of luck, he’ll be involved at the business end.