Hong Kong: Ima Single Man gets weight break, favorable distance at Sha Tin

Overmatched in Hong Kong’s lucrative series for 4-year-olds earlier this year, Ima Single Man is better suited to sprints, such as a seven-furlong Class 2 handicap at Sha Tin Racecourse on Saturday. All he needs now is a clean trip.

Ima Single Man was 11th at 84-1 in the Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin on March 20, but rebounded to finish a troubled third in a Class 2 handicap at seven furlongs on April 10. Ima Single Man was bumped at the start and raced in traffic midway through the race. Despite all that, Ima Single Man rallied from 11th in a field of 13 to finish third by three-quarters of a length.

Trained by Tony Cruz, Ima Single Man will be ridden by Zac Purton in Saturday’s feature. This is the first time Purton has ridden Ima Single Man since a third-place finish in a six-furlong Class 3 handicap in February 2021. Ima Single Man, an Australian-bred gelding, has won 3 of 22 starts in his Hong Kong career.

Saturday’s handicap, which has a purse of $305,771, drew a field of eight and is the third race on a 10-race program that begins at 1 a.m. Eastern or 10 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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Ima Single Man has been assigned 118, but is expected to carry 120, or eight pounds fewer than joint topweight Californiadeepshot. Also trained by Cruz, Californiadeepshot was fifth in the Group 1 Queen’s Jubilee Silver Cup at seven furlongs at Sha Tin on Feb. 20. Californiadeepshot was later third in a Class 1 handicap on the infield dirt track at about a mile at Sha Tin on March 6, leading in the stretch before losing by 1 1/4 lengths.

Silver Express, the winner of his last two turf races at Sha Tin, will also carry 128 pounds for leading trainer John Size. Silver Express won a Class 1 handicap at a mile in November, and a Class 2 at seven furlongs on April 10. In his lone start between wins, Silver Express was fifth in a Class 1 handicap on dirt in December.

In the April 10 race, Silver Express finished a head in front of a fast-closing Good Luck Friend who is part of Saturday’s field. Good Luck Friend is winless in five starts this year, but the April 10 race was by far his best performance. He could be a factor in the stretch against Ima Single Man.