Delightful Laos's form teetering after long Hong Kong season

Late last year and early in 2021, Delightful Laos found his footing racing at Happy Valley, where he notched two wins, in Class 3 and Class 2 handicaps, and finished a good second in a third start. The strong form earned Delightful Laos a move to racing at Sha Tin, where he failed to make an impact in two legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic series and most recently finished ninth trying a distance as long as 1 1/2 miles for the first time while facing Group 3 competition. Wednesday, Delightful Laos returns to Happy Valley, cuts back to 1,650 meters, and drops down into a Class 2 handicap, the featured eighth race, for horses rated 100-80. But is it too late?

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This is race number 10 for Delightful Laos this Hong Kong season, and if he has gone over the top already this term, carrying top weight of 133 pounds won’t help his cause. Three others near the top of the ratings – Solar Wai Wai, Green Luck, and Savaquin – might rate a stronger chance.

Solar Wai Wai carries 132 pounds but ought to appreciate a return to Happy Valley after two fading runs in Sha Tin Class 2s. He’s raced seven times this season, and won a Happy Valley Class 1 win going this distance in February, albeit under a feathery 112 pounds. He could get a great trip Wednesday under Derek Leung. Solar Wai Wai prefers racing forwardly and the only other confirmed front-end type is rail-drawn Magnificent, whom Solar Wai Wai ought to be able to handle.

Green Luck dominated Class 3 foes two starts ago in a course and distance success but has found Class 2 competition considerably more difficult. Savaquin looks better than Green Luck, but the three-time winner this season is making his 13th start of a demanding campaign.

First post for this nine-race program is 6:45 a.m. Eastern and you can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.

Courier Wonder still unbeaten

Three-year-old Courier Wonder ended his 2020-21 Hong Kong season the way he began it – with a Sha Tin win. In fact, Courier Wonder so far in his career has done nothing but win, a solid victory Sunday in the Class 3 Sha Tin Vase running his career mark to five wins from five starts.

Courier Wonder worked out a perfect trip under Joao Moreira, though Hong Kong’s leading jockey said his mount attempted to shy away from the two leaders entering this 1,200-meter race’s one turn. Courier Wonder hit the front in midstretch and held clear a late move from Stronger to win by three-quarters of a length. Courier Wonder carried low weight in the field, 118 pounds, and got 12 pounds from the runner-up and third-place Sky Field.

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This marked Courier Wonder’s first foray into stakes racing, though there is almost certainly more of that to come during the 2021-22 season, especially in the surprisingly thin Hong Kong sprint ranks. John Size trains Courier Wonder, a New Zealand-bred son of Sacred Falls and Fabulist, by Savabeel.

Panfield posted an upset in Sunday’s Group 1 feature, the 2,400-meter Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup, coming home a half-length better than second choice Columbus County as favored Exultant, fading further and further from his best form, could only manage third. Karis Teetan rode the winner, a Chilean-bred 4-year-old by Lookin At Lucky, for trainer Tony Millard.