Hong Kong: Another few pounds for ascendant sprinter Stoltz

Stoltz carried top weight of 133 pounds to victory winning a Class 3 handicap over 1,000 meters in February at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong, and on Wednesday, if he’s to win a Class 2 handicap over the same trip, it will be under a mighty 135-pound impost.

Stoltz is one of a dozen entrants in the featured ninth race Wednesday at Happy Valley, a 1,000-meter dash for horses rated 95-75 that closes a card beginning at 6:45 a.m. Eastern. You can catch all the Hong Kong action at DRFBets.com.

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An Australian-bred with an American pedigree (by More than Ready out of the Dehere mare Decelerator), Stoltz was a three-time winner from nine starts before being imported to Hong Kong from Australia, and his transition to Hong Kong racing this season has gone well. Stoltz, trained by Francis Lui, was rated 65 when he began his campaign in December and after compiling a 3-3-0 record from eight starts his Hong Kong mark stands at 95 entering Wednesday’s contest.

Stoltz’s current peak rating comes after a half-length win in his most recent start, on April 27, when he won at this class level and distance by a half-length while toting 122 pounds. Stoltz didn’t miss any training following the April 27 start, but Lui sent him to the Conghua training center on the Chinese mainland, where Stoltz spent about six weeks recharging his batteries in Conghua’s bucolic setting before returning to the hustle and bustle of Sha Tin. Zac Purton, aboard for Stoltz’s last six starts and all three of his wins, will break the gelding from post 8, a fine draw.

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Stoltz gives as much as 19 pounds to his rivals, with Special M, who carries just 116 pounds, a horse worth considering for powerhouse connections trainer John Size and jockey Joao Moreira. There’s a lot of speed entered in the Wednesday nightcap and both the top- and bottom-rated runners, each of them stalking types, ought to get a decent run.