Glorious Artist should relish return to dirt at Sha Tin
Glorious Artist will return to his preferred surface on the infield dirt track at Sha Tin on Wednesday in the $270,862 Cheung Sha Handicap at about a mile and 50 yards. Judging from his recent turf form, Glorious Artist needs a change of scenery.
Trained by Frankie Lor, Glorious Artist has won 4 of 9 starts on the dirt track and 4 of 22 starts in his Hong Kong career. Glorious Artist, a 6-year-old Irish-bred gelding by Zoffany, won a handicap on the dirt track on Dec. 29 in his most recent start on the surface.
:: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, analysis, replays, and live streaming
Since then, Glorious Artist has run in three turf handicaps at Sha Tin, finishing 13th at 130-1 on Feb. 2, ninth at 240-1 on Feb.23, and 10th at 244-1 on March 8. At least he got out of the stable for those afternoons.
To a degree, wins in two of his last three starts on dirt at Sha Tin offset those poor performances.
The weather may play a factor. The track was rated as wet-slow on Dec. 29 and there could be similar conditions on Wednesday.
:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Glorious Artist, who will be ridden by Zac Purton, is the 133-pound highweight in the Cheung Sha Handicap, the last of eight dirt races at Sha Tin on Wednesday. The race drew a field of 14, including several runners who have excelled on the surface in recent months.
If Glorious Artist fails to offer a peak performance, Buddies and Raging Blitzkrieg, who will each carry 126 pounds, seem well placed. They were second and fourth behind Glorious Artist on Dec. 29.
Buddies, who will be ridden by Joao Moreira, races near the front, while Raging Blitzkrieg tends to run as a stalker. Raging Blitzkrieg won a handicap on the dirt on March 14, and faces a tougher group in this race.
Moreira had five wins on the weekend program at Sha Tin to retake the lead in the jockey standings for the season with 94 victories, two more than Purton.