HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
Declan Schuster
(Wednesday, September 15, 2021)
Race 1: #3 Sky Gem, #1 Crown Avenue, #4 Exaltation, #6 Amazing Luck
Race 2: #4 Fast Pace, #10 Lucky Diamond, #1 Jolly Honour, #3 Seaweed Fortune
Race 3: #6 Viva Mama, #4 Sunny And Gold, #7 Alloy King, #1 Who Loves The Ace
Race 4: #1 Fire Ball, #11 Travel Glory, #4 Party Genius, #5 Hero Star
Race 5: #7 Stormtrouper, #8 Moonluck, #3 Whiskey Neat, #1 What A Legend
Race 6: #9 Fa Fa, #4 Incanto Prepared, #10 Surrealism, #5 Smoothies
Race 7: #9 Colonel, #2 Classic Posh, #1 Simply Fluke, #6 Mig Energy
Race 8: #1 Grateful Heart, #10 Loving A Boom, #12 Sight Success, #3 Decrypt
Race 1: Heung Yip Handicap
#3 Sky Gem is consistent in his spot and does remain in Class 5 which suits. Joao Moreira takes the reins and gate two will afford him every chance. #1 Crown Avenue definitely has a touch of class and the dip to the bottom grade is a positive. Draw suits as does Zac Purton’s booking. Jerry Chau has a notable record for Tony Cruz and the pair combine here with #4 Exaltation. This guy is yet to win but given the circumstances he’s not without a hope, especially over nine furlongs. #6 Amazing Luck is next best.
Race 2: Island Handicap
The strength of both Caspar Fownes and Zac Purton unite here with #4 Fast Pace. He’s a talent in his spot and the first-up run at Sha Tin will have done him a world of good. Expect a very forward showing second-up. #10 Lucky Diamond was a touch unlucky last time out when finishing fourth over this course and distance. He slots in light and is favoured by gate one. #1 Jolly Honour is showing plenty in Class 4. He can finish thereabouts. #3 Seaweed Fortune is a threat also for Vincent Ho and Francis Lui.
Race 3: Nam Fung Handicap
#6 Viva Mama can press for the lead and play catch me if you can. He’s a tough on-pacer who can prove difficult to run down on his day. #4 Sunny And Gold has taken his time to acclimatise to Hong Kong but his latest trial at Conghua suggests that the penny is about to drop. He can win in Class 5 and is favoured by the draw here. #7 Alloy King pieced it all together nicely last time out. #1 Who Loves The Ace steps down to Class 5 for the first time and does get Joao Moreira aboard. There’s definitely ability there.
Race 4: Shum Wan Handicap (2nd Section)
#1 Fire Ball scored a top win last time out and he remains in Class 4 following that performance. He has an excellent cruising speed and racing pattern, both of which will afford him every chance under leading jockey Zac Purton. #11 Travel Glory lengthened nicely in a recent trial on the dirt. He bears close watching here down in the weights. #4 Party Genius will need luck but can finish very fast when the circumstances permit. #5 Hero Star rarely runs a bad race and this contest appears suitable for him.
Race 5: Shum Wan Handicap (1st Section)
#7 Stormtrouper is slowly coming to hand and this looks a suitable contest for him to break through. He trialled well and recently Zac Purton has been in the plate for a number of his key workouts, indicating his chances are favourable. #8 Moonluck has ability and draws ideally for this contest. #3 Whiskey Neat is yet to win but has gone close a number of occasions. Once again he gets his chance. #1 What A Legend only needs to offset the wide gate to be competitive.
Race 6: Hong Kong Country Club Challenge Cup Handicap
#9 Fa Fa has a load of ability. He’s a two-time winner from his past three starts and with the right run he looks more than capable of taking out this out. #4 Incanto Prepared is competitive in his spot. Strong booking of Joao Moreira coupled with the good gate gives him his chance. #10 Surrealism rates strongly. He looks an excellent chance for Luke Ferraris to score atop. #5 Smoothies draws wide but that’s rarely a problem for Zac Purton. Suspect he can cross and give this race a big, big shake.
Race 7: Tai Shue Wan Handicap
#9 Colonel rolls forward here and tries to pinch this. He can give a bit of cheek up on the pace and from the good gate he should consume next to no petrol early on. #2 Classic Posh won well two starts ago. He’s first-up but is partnered with Zac Purton, which bodes well for this contest. #1 Simply Fluke closed out last term in sizzling form with back-to-back wins. He draws well for the apprentice and does own a blazing personal best time. #6 Mig Energy mixes his form but on his day he is a solid operator. Don’t discount.
Race 8: Wong Chuk Hang Handicap
#1 Grateful Heart caught the eye in a recent trial and appears to have returned in excellent order. Zac Purton’s been doing a fair bit of work with this guy in the lead-up to this contest and his best form could see him win here. #10 Loving A Boom is nothing short of consistent with 11 runner-up efforts to his name. He doesn’t win out of turn but he rarely runs poorly and does draw favourably for Alexis Badel. #12 Sight Success slots in light. He’s talented. #3 Decrypt is next best. Don’t discount over this trip.
Paul Lally:
R1 1-2-10-9
R2 2-9-4-3
R3 2-5-4-7
R4 1-5-2-11
R5 7-1-8-10
R6 9-5-1-10
R7 4-9-1-6
R8 7-1-6-10
Best Bet R6 N9 Fa Fa
Longshot R8 N7 Scores Of Fun
Play Race6 QQP 1-5-9
Mark McNamara:
R1 2.1.10.3
R2 4.3.2.1
R3 4.7.6.5
R4 11.1.3.2
R5 7.9.4.1
R6 9.11.5.8
R7 10.1.2.7
R8 1.2.10.7
Best Bet R5 N7 Stormtrouper
Longshot R4 N11 Travel Glory
Play R2 Q/QP 2.3.4
Andrew Le Jeune:
R1: 1-9-3-2
R2: 2-8-7-3
R3: 3-4-6-5
R4: 2-5-1-11
R5: 1-10-9-7
R6: 8-2-11-9
R7: 9-4-1-5
R8: 10-2-4-5
Best: R8 N10 Loving A Boom
Each/way: R5 N1 What A Legend
Play: R8 Q/QP 2-4-10
Tom Wood:
R1: 1-3-10-8
R2: 2-3-4-9
R3: 4-5-2-3
R4: 1-2-5-7
R5: 8-1-7-10
R6: 9-11-4-3
R7: 10-1-6-4
R8: 5-1-10-12
BEST: R4 N1 FIRE BALL (WIN)
VALUE: R8 N5 GOLDEN DASH (EW)
PLAY: R2 QQP 2,3,4
