Dinozzo finds good spot in Happy Valley Vase
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After a failed attempt in a Group 1, the Hong Kong veteran gelding Dinozzo looks ideally suited for a start in Wednesday’s $318,637 Happy Valley Vase at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The 5-year-old Irish-bred gelding is already a winner at Happy Valley Racecourse this year, in a minor handicap at about a mile on Jan. 31. He followed that days later with a win in the Group 3 Centenary Vase Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Sha Tin Racecourse on Feb. 4 before finishing seventh in the Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup at Sha Tin on Feb. 25.
Time Warp, the winner of the Hong Kong Gold Cup, is the future-book favorite to win the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin on April 29.
The Happy Valley Vase is the sixth race on an eight-race program that begins at 7:15 a.m., Eastern.
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Dinozzo has won 3 of 9 starts during the current Hong Kong season, which began in September. Trained by John Size, Dinozzo will be ridden by leading rider Joao Moreira in the Happy Valley Vase, which drew a field of 11.
The race has depth. Dinozzo will carry 131 pounds, two less than topweight Eagle Way, who was third in the Centenary Vase and sixth in the Hong Kong Gold Cup.
Earlier in his career, Eagle Way won the Group 1 Queensland Derby in Australia in 2016. Trained by John Moore, Eagle Way won the Group 3 January Cup at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Happy Valley on Jan. 10.
Gold Mount, who will carry 132 pounds, was second to Dinozzo in the Centenary Vase and fifth in the Hong Kong Gold Cup. Eagle Way and Gold Mount tend to run from off the pace, while Dinozzo can lead or race as a stalker.
Dinozzo could face early pressure from Packing Dragon, a 6-year-old gelding who has won his last two starts in handicaps at Happy Valley. Packing Dragon was seventh behind Eagle Way in the January Cup, fading from contention in the final furlong after a troubled trip.
