Hong Kong: Harmony N Blessed, Incanto Prepared put streaks on line at Happy Valley

A couple of winning streaks are on the line at the back end of a nine-race Happy Valley card Wednesday in Hong Kong.

Four-year-old Harmony N Blessed was a vet scratch out of his intended career debut Nov. 8, but actually started two weeks later and aired in a Class 4 handicap over 1,200 meters at Sha Tin. Returning to racing Dec. 9 at Happy Valley, Harmony N Blessed took care of business when stepped up to Class 3 competition, and he returns at the same class level and 1,200-meter distance in Wednesday’s seventh race. The difference here is Harmony N Blessed’s eight-point rating rise to 69, which means he picks up six pounds off his recent win, carrying a manageable 122 Wednesday.

Meanwhile, something has gotten into Incanto Prepared this Hong Kong racing season. After beginning his career with 14 losses, Incanto Prepared has won three of his last five and two races in a row, including a three-length blowout score Dec 23 at Happy Valley that sends him out of Class 4 competition for the first time and into a Class 3.

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Harmony N Blessed starts in race 7, while Incanto Prepared goes in race 8, a one-circuit, 1,650-meter contest. John Size, who won three races Sunday at Sha Tin, trains Incancto Prepared, who was given a steep nine-point rating rise, to 67, after his surprisingly dominant last-race success.

Race 9, the nightcap, is a reprisal of race 7, a Class 3 handicap for horses rated 80 to 60 and carded at 1,200 meters.

Among Incanto Prepared’s rivals in race 8 is Delightful Laos, top rated at 80 following a tremendous deep-closing course and distance win Dec. 16. Trainer Tony Cruz named apprentice Jerry Chau to ride, giving Delightful Laos a seven-pound break in the weights down to 126. Smiling City, rated 64, looks like he could be edging toward a rare win.

First post for the card – available for wagering at DRFBets.com – is 5:45 a.m. Eastern.

Four-year-old hopefuls had useful Sunday run

Hong Kong’s version of the Triple Crown, the Four-year-old Classic Series, begins Jan. 24 with the Hong Kong Classic Mile, a race that figures to attract multiple starters coming out of the featured 10th race from last Sunday at Sha Tin.

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Lucky Patch, who was second by a nose while favorably weighted at just 115, and Enrich Delight, who finished third carrying 11 more pounds, turned in the best performances among the 4-year-old set and all being well will return for the Classic Mile. Enrich Delight, trained by Caspar Fownes, might be the one to watch. He won his Hong Kong debut in late November before being scratched by the veterinarian from an intended start on Dec. 13. Enrich Delight finished solidly Sunday in a race he probably needed and could be set to step forward later this month.

Another 4-year-old, Sight Success, scored an eye-catching win in Sunday’s seventh race, a 1,200-meter Class 3 Handicap. Trained by John Size, Sight Success had easily won his career debut in a Sha Tin Class 3 on Dec. 26 and on Sunday had little trouble overcoming a tricky inside pressing trip to win by a measured 1 1/2 lengths. Sight Success was raised nine points in this week’s Hong Kong ratings to 72.

* Golden Sixty, Hong Kong’s best horse and a last-out winner of the Grade 1 Hong Kong Mile, was one of just eight early entries into the Group 1 Stewards Cup over 1,600 meters on Jan. 24.