Charity Fun may need more distance in Class 2 Happy Valley feature

The majority of horses racing in Hong Kong are sprinters or milers, but the question for Charity Fun is whether the featured ninth race Wednesday at Happy Valley, a Class 2 handicap over 1,800 meters, about 1 1/8 miles, is too short.

In Ireland, where he made his first two starts while called Pontchateau, Charity Fun twice contested races at about 1 1/4 miles, winning the second of them. In Hong Kong, trained by Clifford Shum, Charity Fun debuted with a closing fourth going 1,650 meters at Happy Valley, then crushed Class 3 rivals over the same course racing 2,200 meters. Shifting to Sha Tin, he faded to eighth racing at 1,800 meters, but back out to 2,000 meters there March 21, Charity Fun won by 2 1/4 lengths. Wednesday, racing in the last of nine races in a handicap for horses rated 100-80, Charity Fun breaks from post 2 under Zac Purton, likely as one of the shorter prices in a 12-horse field.

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Top-rated Reliable Team, who carries 133 pounds, including jockey Karis Teetan, breaks from post 11 and figures to make a beeline for the front coming off a pacesetting win over a one-turn mile at Sha Tin. Reliable Team, for whatever its worth, was racing without cheek pieces for the first time in six races while notching his first win of the 2020-21 season in his eighth start this term.

Caspar Fownes, in a close contest for leading trainer this season with John Size, sends out Green Luck, on whom he has done some equipment tinkering during the gelding’s ongoing campaign. Perhaps a drop from Class 2 and Class 1 handicaps more than any raceday equipment changes accounted for Green Luck’s last-start romp going 1,650 meters at Happy Valley. The gelding, however, has looked less effective in his 1,800-meter tries.

Size sends out Savaquin, who loses leading rider Joao Moreira to Green Luck as he tries a distance beyond 1,650 meters for the first time.

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The Class 2 is preceded by three Class 3 handicaps on a solid program that starts at 6:40 a.m. Eastern. You can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.