Hong Kong: Eason should be able to overcome weight assignment and post 12

Class 3 handicaps at Happy Valley don’t typically include Hong Kong racehorses of more than modest ability, but Eason, who runs in just such a race Wednesday, might be all right.

Eason is one of a dozen horses entered in the last of nine races at Happy Valley, a Class 3 handicap carded at 1,200 meters and open to horses rated 80-60. The card closes with three Class 3s, with race 8 also carded at 1,200 meters and race 7 a 1,650-meter contest. First post is 6:45 a.m. Eastern with all the action available at DRFBets.com.

Eason is just a 3-year-old and could have a decent future in front of him. After two starts at the Class 4 level to begin his career produced a second-place finish and a win, Eason ascended to Class 3 and twice finished second. In those four starts Eason always raced on or just off the pace, but in his most recent outing on March 16, he showed a new dimension.

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Stalking the pace under Joao Moreira in a 1,200-meter Class 3, Eason roared off the turn and powered home to a 2 1/2-length victory, visually impressive and good for a nine-point rating rise. Eason remains in Class 3 on Wednesday but picks up nine pounds, and in addition to the 129-pound impost, he and Moreira will have to overcome post 12.