Happy Valley: Green Aeon looks live in Class 3 handicap

Class 3 handicap fare is the highest level of racing Wednesday at Happy Valley in Hong Kong, with three such races, including the last of eight, providing the highlights on the program.

Race 8 is carded at 1,000 meters and open to horses rated 80-60, and there is not a ton of upside in the group of 11. Three of the four top-rated entrants struggled so much in Class 2 races during the 2019-20 Hong Kong season that they begin this campaign down at Class 3. So, here, you get horses in poor form toting high weights, which is not typically an appetizing recipe.

Green Aeon presents a much different case. The 5-year-old Caspar Fownes-trained Australian-bred has just one Hong Kong start behind him, a decent fourth at this distance and class level in June. Joao Moreira rode Green Aeon in that race and has the mount – probably a live one – again Wednesday.

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Several of these older horses – Baltic Whisper comes to mind – in the past have needed a few runs to get back into racing rhythm. Flying Genius, however, is a relatively spry 4-year-old who won his second start last term, a Class 4 over 1,000 meters a Happy Valley. Trained by Tony Cruz, Flying Genius appeared to be over the top in his final start last season, June 10, but previous had delivered several competitive performances facing competition comparable to Wednesday’s. He’s drawn in post 9 and will be ridden by Karis Teetan, who reached a mild milestone, 400 Hong Kong winners, this past Sunday at Sha Tin.

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Another 4-year-old, Eternal Harvest, has as good a chance as anyone. Eternal Harvest was scratched from an intended start July 8 after acting up in the gate and in his last actual race won a Happy Valley 1,000-meter Class 3 by a comfortable margin.

First post for the card is 7:15 a.m. Eastern. Live video and wagering can be found at DRFBets.com