Class 2's co-featured on rare Sunday card at Happy Valley

Winning is for the most part the whole idea of horse racing. But under the handicap system that governs Hong Kong racing, winning comes with a down-side. Win a handicap race and the Hong Kong handicapper will raise your rating. That means either moving up in class to face stronger competition or adding weight if the ratings rise keeps the horse in the same condition.

Take Circuit Glory. Making his seasonal debut Sept. 12 in a Class 2 handicap at Happy Valley, Circuit Glory got a favorable trip and ground out a three-quarter-length victory. His rating rose five points, to 87, and after toting 119 last time, Circuit Glory is up to 123 running back at the same class level and distance in the co-featured seventh race Sunday at Happy Valley.

Weekend racing in Hong Kong nearly always takes place at Sha Tin; this is the only Sunday card at Happy Valley this Hong Kong season.

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Race 7, carded at 1650 meters, one circuit around the irregular Happy Valley course, is one of two Class 2 handicaps for horses rated 100-80 on the program. The 10th is the same race but carded at 1200 meters.

Maybe Circuit Glory, for lack of a better option, can win right back. There are several horses entered in the co-featured seventh that will struggle to stay beyond three-quarters of a mile, and others in very questionable form. One potential player is Turin Redbird, who rose slowly but steadily from Class 3 to Class 2 last season, his first in Hong Kong, and began this campaign with a decent second in a similar spot. The John Size-trained Time to Celebrate holds some appeal in his Happy Valley debut following eight starts at Sha Tin.

First post for the card is 12:45 a.m. Eastern.