Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Saturday, January 9, 2021

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, January 10, 2021)

Race 1: #1 Branding Power, #4 Lucky Fun, #8 On Excel Star, #10 Comfort Life
Race 2: #5 California Legend, #7 Victorious Leader, #1 Wonder Express, #2 Copartner Era
Race 3: #3 Great Son, #6 Moon Peaks, #5 Treasure Chest, #1 Jade Theatre
Race 4: #8 Winning Steed, #9 Country Boy, #13 Green Envy, #3 Speed Fay Fay
Race 5: #5 Amazing Rocky, #14 Noble Desire, #4 United We Stand, #11 Sight Hero
Race 6: #10 Stunning Impact, #4 Cheerful Days, #2 Decisive Action, #1 All For St Paul’s
Race 7: #11 Sight Success, #1 Circuit Six, #12 Sky Show, #2 Private Rocket
Race 8: #2 Harmony And Rich, #1 Silver Fig, #6 Super Alliances, #3 Gunnar
Race 9: #2 Kyrus Unicorn, #5 Super Football, #6 Chevalier Prince, #12 Casimiro
Race 10: #5 Enrich Delight, #2 Excellent Proposal, #1 Band Of Brothers, #11 Lucky Patch

Race 1: Lam Tin Handicap

#1 Branding Power has shown ability across two starts and with further improvement he is capable of breaking through against a relatively inexperienced field. #4 Lucky Fun closed off nicely on debut. He’s another who can figure with further improvement and race experience. #8 On Excel Star returns first-up off the back of a sound trial. He bears close watching. #10 Comfort Life has race experience on his side and is a winner already. He’s next best.

Race 2: Sau Mau Ping Handicap

#5 California Legend can find front and play catch me if you can from there. He’s racing with confidence and if he can offset the wide gate, he is the one to beat. #7 Victorious Leader has returned to a competitive mark and now, gets champion jockey Zac Purton’s services for the first time this season. He bears close watching. #1 Wonder Express steps down to Class 5 where he is a one-time winner. He has the class edge and is aided by the booking of championship leading jockey Joao Moreira. #2 Copartner Era mixes his form but can finish in the money.

Race 3: San Po Kong Handicap

#3 Great Son does his best racing in Class 5. The booking of Zac Purton warrants respect and he should get every opportunity from the good gate. #6 Moon Peaks is looking for back-to-back wins in the grade. His form is solid, and he deserves respect here. #5 Treasure Chest is also looking for back-to-back wins. He’s consistent and should be around the mark again, though, he will need to translate his last start form from the dirt to the turf which is always a question mark. #1 Jade Theatre gets a handy seven-pound claim and can run well again here.

Race 4: Ngau Chi Wan Handicap

#8 Winning Steed turned his form around last start to grab second and appears capable of going one better here. He’s on-the-up and can win in this grade. #9 Country Boy draws a gate and is open to improvement, especially as a lightly raced prospect from the John Size yard. #13 Green Envy is looking for back-to-back wins. He steps up to Class 4 now but is advantaged with next to no weight on his back. #3 Speed Fay Fay is consistent in his spot and deserves respect.

Race 5: Kwun Tong Handicap

#5 Amazing Rocky gets the seven-pound claimer up and from the inside draw, could well prove difficult to reel in. #14 Noble Desire is winless but has gone close in both of his last two starts, missing by a half-length in each. He has a powerful finish. #4 United We Stand rarely runs a bad race but arguably should have won more races than just one. He has four top-three efforts from five runs this term and it wouldn’t shock to see him go on with it here. #11 Sight Hero is open to improvement and can finish around the mark.

Race 6: Ngau Tau Kok Handicap

#10 Stunning Impact can benefit from a race loaded with early speed. He has ability as well as a powerful finish and he gets his chance here. #4 Cheerful Days is running out of chances but has shown a stack of ability early on. He can figure with the right run but once again, the awkward gate may prove costly for him. #2 Decisive Action has improved back to Class 4. He’s competitive in his spot. #1 All For St Paul’s can roll forward and take up the lead. He’ll look the winner a long way from home.

Race 7: Diamond Hill Handicap

#11 Sight Success couldn’t have been more impressive when winning on debut and, he looks more than capable of doing the same again here. #1 Circuit Six was a G3 winner in Australia prior to export and he has the class to win this contest. He draws awkwardly but is capable of bouncing out of the ground at any time. #12 Sky Show slots in with next to no weight on his back. He’s right in the mix. #2 Private Rocket is capable of bouncing back to his best.

Race 8: Jordan Valley Handicap

#2 Harmony And Rich has performed well across seven starts and now steps on the dirt for the first time. He trialled well on the surface recently and with even luck he is the one to beat. #1 Silver Fig is a two-time winner on the dirt. He has the class edge but does need to contend with top-weight duties. #6 Super Alliances relishes the surface and draws well for this contest. He’s a two-time winner from his last three starts and is currently racing with plenty of confidence. #3 Gunnar is competitive in his spot.

Race 9: Kowloon Bay Handicap

#2 Kyrus Unicorn turned his form around last start to finish second. He draws well once again and with a positive ride he does appear capable of going one better here. #5 Super Football is on-the-up and should relish the step up in distance to 1600m. #6 Chevalier Prince is capable in his spot and draws well for championship leading jockey Joao Moreira. #12 Casimiro has gone from strength-to-strength this season with two wins from his last three starts. He can run another bold race here assuming he handles the jump to Class 3.

Race 10: Choi Hung Handicap

#5 Enrich Delight couldn’t have been more impressive when winning on debut in Hong Kong and with even luck, he is capable of scoring back-to-back wins as he plots a path toward the Four-Year-Old Classic Series. #2 Excellent Proposal is looking for his fourth win on the bounce and is another, who is Classic Series bound. He’s been nothing short of impressive since his arrival in Hong Kong but with a big weight and sharp drop in trip from 1800m, he just might be worth opposing as the likely favourite for the race. #1 Band Of Brothers is racing well and has the class edge on a number of rivals here. #11 Lucky Patch is on-the-up and only needs to handle the class rise to be competitive. He looks to also be a leading contender for the upcoming Four-Year-Old Classic Series and is one worth keeping an eye on.