Hong Kong: Darci's Joy gets in light in first try at Class 3

Darci Joy has found his niche racing 1,800 meters at Happy Valley. Will he find his initial foray into Class 3 handicap competition too challenging? And can anyone be found to challenge Savvy Kingman on the lead?

These questions and so much more will be answered during the last of nine races at Happy Valley on Wednesday. The 1,800-meter nightcap is one of the Class 3 handicaps for horses rated 80-60 that headline the card. First post is 5:45 a.m. Eastern and you can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.

Four-year-old New Zealand import Darci Joy, by Darci Brahma out of a High Chaparral mare, didn’t finish better than fifth in his first seven Hong Kong starts but now has got the hang of things. In his five most recent races he’s finished first three times and second in his two losses, and he comes into Wednesday’s contest on a two-race winning streak.

The consecutive wins, probably not coincidentally, came in Darci Joy’s first two races at a distance as far as 1,800 meters. On Jan. 1, he overcame post 13 and was much the best while carrying 125 pounds in a Class 4 handicap, and under 133 pounds Jan. 23, he won by a neck. Wednesday’s race marks Darci Joy’s first try above the Class 4 level and because of that he carries just 116 pounds.

That might be light enough for Darci Joy to compete with the race’s two highest-rated runners. Savvy Kingman is weighted at 133, giving Darci Joy 17 pounds, but comes off a two-length, galloping win at this class level and distance. The showing was no fluke. Savvy Kingman has finished third or better in his seven starts this Hong Kong season, all at Happy Valley, five of them over 1,800 meters. If he goes unchallenged during the early and middle stages, Savvy Kingman can win again.

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Apache Pass (125 pounds) brings his own two-race winning streak to this start but both recent successes came over the Sha Tin dirt track and Apache Pass breaks Wednesday from post 8. Beauty Glory, who makes only his fourth Hong Kong start, looks like the horse who could press Savvy Kingman. Ready Tourbillon could be sitting on substantial improvement at a good price.

Race 8 over 1,000 meters and race 5 at 1,200 meters are the other Class 3s on the program. Race 5 marks the Hong Kong debut of Irish import Moonlight Vista, who was name Rerouting when he scored a sharp Gowran Park debut victory before finishing third in the Group 3 Solario Stakes last August at Sandown Stakes in England. He starts off rated 75 and must lug top weight of 132 pounds Wednesday, and Moonlight Vista is unlikely to win first up. Four-year-old Party Warrior exits what was easily the top performance of his relatively brief Hong Kong career and an eight-point rating rise because of that victory means he carries 131 pounds, including jockey Zac Purton. Purton’s arch riding rival Joao Moreira rides the John Size-trained In At the Moment, sneaky low-rated contender who gets as much as 14 pounds from his rivals.