Hong Kong: E Star can see the light with hood removed

Sometimes less is more, and that goes for equipment used on racehorses. Since trainer Manfred Man removed a hood from E Star’s raceday equipment package the gelding’s form has taken a turn for the better.

Three races ago, E Star emphatically won a Class 3 handicap, and he has been knocking on the door in two subsequent Class 2 starts. E Star gets back in a race like that, the featured ninth on Sunday at Sha Tin, and looks as good as any of the 14 entrants in this 1,400-meter turf contest.

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Going 1,400 meters at Sha Tin appears to be E Star’s best game and in his first Class 2 try he rolled home from 12th to finish second. In his most recent out, on June 23, jockey Harry Bentley positioned him closer to the leaders, and while E Star finished third, he was beaten less than a neck by the winner while finishing one length clear of the fourth-place horse. E Star does pick up weight Sunday in this race for horses rated 90-70 and must tote 130 pounds, though he won his recent Class 3 start under a 132-pound impost.

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The top-rated entrants – Assimilate, Gold Chest, and Californiadeepshot – all are posted wide and lug an even heavier burden than E Star. There are no major ratings risers lower on the handicap and the Sunday feature has a wide-open feel to it.

Post time for this card is 10 p.m. Pacific on Saturday night and you can catch all the racing at DRFBets.com.