Beauty Smile can rise up in Chinese New Year Cup at Sha Tin

Beauty Smile, a 4-year-old with some upside, sits at the bottom of the ratings but could come out on top of the Class 1 Chinese New Year Cup Handicap on Sunday at Sha Tin.

This 1,400-meter race, featured on an 11-race card two days card coming two days after the actual Chinese New Year, is for horses rated 110-85 and drew nine entrants. Beauty Smile, rated 86, is one of three in the race carrying just 113 pounds, 20 fewer than top-rated Fat Turtle.

Beauty Smile, trained by Tony Cruz and with Matthew Chadwick to ride, has made all eight of his Hong Kong starts at this roughly seven-furlong trip. He ran two decent races at the start of his Hong Kong career last season before turning in a stinker and has been plugging solidly away this season. Beauty Smile leaves the Class 2 ranks after a solid win Jan. 31 and had decent form in Ireland over this distance before being exported.

Congratulation, who also totes 113 pounds, makes his first Hong Kong start after racing during 2019 and part of 2020 in Ireland, where he was trained by Aidan O’Brien and known as Monarch of Egypt. Congratulation, by American Pharoah, ran in high level races with little success at age 2, was seventh in the 2020 Irish 2000 Guineas, and did turn in an encouraging performance in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes over 1,400 meters at Royal Ascot last summer, where he was second of 13.

Poor Fat Turtle – he leaves group-stakes competition, including runs in two Group 1s this season, where he has not been getting embarrassed, and now has to carry 133 pounds in this Class 1 despite a record of 4-0-1-0 at the class level. Kings Shield, who is better on dirt, figures to try to lead. Fast Most Furious has raced flat this season – much more so than last – despite the addition of blinkers.

California Rad already is a three-time winner this season and seems capable of handling a hike from Class 2 to Class 1, but he appears to be most comfortable at 1,200 meters and is likely to lack as strong a punch at this longer distance.

As interesting as any horse racing Sunday is Sight Success, who goes in race 9, the Class 2 Fat Choi Handicap over 1,200 meters. Sight Success, Karis Teetan riding for trainer John Size, resides on the lowest rating rung here, at 86, but that is no mark against him. The 4-year-old only began his career on Dec. 26 and comes into this start after dominant wins in a Class 3 and a pair of Class 2s. He has speed and a kick and is an exciting prospect in a relatively Hong Kong sprint division lacking stars at the moment.

First post for the program is an early 11 p.m. Eastern on Saturday night. You can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.