Hong Kong: Dancing Fighter has leading trainer Fownes in his corner

Trainer Caspar Fownes is the king of Happy Valley, and in Dancing Fighter, Fownes might have the right horse for the co-featured eighth race Wednesday at Happy Valley.

Dancing Fighter totes top weight of 133 pounds facing nine rivals in a Class 3 sprint over 1,200 meters, but he has Zac Purton in the irons and the sharp form to overcome the weighty impost.

:: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, analysis, replays, and live streaming

Fownes, 52, is the leading Hong Kong trainer at Happy Valley this racing season with 22 wins from 164 runners. For comparison’s sake, his record this season over the Sha Tin turf shows just six wins from 150 runners. Fownes’s sweet spot is 1,200 meters over Happy Valley turf. He has 12 winners from 66 such starters this season, and it’s in a 1,200-meter race that Dancing Fighter starts Wednesday night (first post for the nine-race card is 6:45 a.m. Eastern).

Dancing Fighter, a 4-year-old Australian-bred, ran well below his best form when eighth as the favorite at this class level, distance, and weight on March 25, but he won consecutive Class 3s from outside post positions in his two previous starts, both in 1,200-meter Happy Valley starts, and could easily rebound to that performance level Wednesday.

Golden Dash comes off a Class 3, 1,200-meter Happy Valley victory, and trainer Cliff Shum has named apprentice Matthew Poon to ride, helping mitigate the extra weight Golden Dash picks up after the win.

Larson, Purton riding for trainer John Moore, is the ratings riser in race 9, a 1,000-meter Class 3 dash. Larson is rated 73 now, up six points off a mark of 67 at which he scored a course-and-distance Class 3 win April 8. Top-rated Cue Bull drops from Class 2 competition and could try to show speed Wednesday from post 3.