RACING in Hong Kong resumes at Happy Valley today with a nine-race programme, featuring the six-furlong Racing World 50th Anniversary Cup (1.40pm).
With just three of the remaining seven fixtures taking place at the city track before the season ends, it is safe to say leading trainer Caspar Fownes will once again be crowned King of the Valley.
The former four-time champion trainer has sent out a record-breaking 42 winners at the Valley this season and has presently saddled an impressive 670 wins at his favourite track since taking out a licence 23 years ago.
Fownes maintains a healthy advantage of four wins over nearest pursuer Danny Shum in the trainers’ title race. With the stable continuing to fire in victories on a regular basis, having saddled winners at eight of the last nine meetings, Fownes is going to be a tough nut to crack if his rivals are to stop him picking up the coveted trainers’ championship trophy.
With half-a-dozen raiders, including well-handicapped Quartz Legend in the feature race and The Heir going for the hat-trick in the six-furlong Leighton Road Handicap (3.15pm), the stable must be confident of continuing their spate of good form, especially with MIGHTY COMMANDER who lines up in the King’s Road Handicap (3.50pm) over the extended mile.
This three-time winner at the Valley has spent most of his career racing over shorter trips but did post a course and distance victory in January of last year.
This season he has been mainly kept to six furlongs until stepping up to seven furlongs at Sha Tin in April where he outstayed his rivals in the closing stages to win in a good time.
Fownes obviously couldn’t find a suitable contest to race his five-year-old in after a two-month break and switched him to the all-weather surface for the first time, taking on some of the fastest dirt specialists in the city.
The fact he finished an eye-catching and fast closing sixth to PI Legend and company speaks volumes about his wellbeing and that should have acted as an ideal preparation for this upcoming contest.
With a perfect gate in two, and the Magic Man Joao Moreira back in the saddle, he has everything in his favour and can prove too good for principal threat and likely favourite Romantic Gladiator.
The Danny Shum-trained and lightly raced three-year-old was a course and distance winner last month, winning in the style of a progressive galloper and Zac Purton is back on board again.
Purton, as always, has a host of winning chances on the card and is the ideal pilot for talented, but exasperating SPIRIT OF PEACE in the six-furlong Connaught Road Central Handicap (2.10pm).
With so much speed in the contest and many of his rivals unable to see out the trip, this is an ideal opportunity for Purton to employ waiting tactics before launching his charge down the home straight and hopefully snatching victory near the line.
POINTERS
Spirit Of Peace 2.10pm Happy Valley
Mighty Commander 3.50pm Happy Valley