Hong Kong: Leading trio drop into class 1 handicap at Sha Tin

Since early April, Lucky Express, Master Eight, and Nervous Witness have all started in group stakes for sprinters in Hong Kong and were within a length of winning.

Starts in such prestigious races have been paused for the Australian-bred geldings in favor of a class 1 handicap at six furlongs at Sha Tin Racecourse on Friday. This class 1 handicap, the $401,400 Hong Kong Reunification Cup, is restricted to horses with official ratings ranging from 90 to 115. Horses from class 1 frequently appear in group-level stakes, and are capable of winning such races.

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Lucky Express and Master Eight will carry top weight of 135 pounds in Friday’s field of 11, while Nervous Witness has been assigned 130 pounds, since he is five rating points below the top pair.

Nervous Witness is the quickest of the three leading contenders and likely to set the pace. A 4-year-old trained by David Hayes, Nervous Witness has won 4 of 9 starts in Hong Kong. He has risen rapidly through the Hong Kong handicap divisions in recent months.

Nervous Witness was second by a neck in the Group 3 Sha Tin Vase at six furlongs on May 22 after setting the pace.

Master Eight, a winner of 5 of 8 starts, will be well-backed in his first start since a third by a neck as the favorite in the Group 2 Sprint Cup at six furlongs on April 3. Master Eight missed a start in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize on April 24 because of a fever. Master Eight, who tends to run near the front, has worked steadily in the last six weeks for his return.

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Lucky Express is a closer. A winner of 2 of 24 starts in Hong Kong, Lucky Express was an unlucky second in the Group 3 Premier Cup at seven furlongs on June 19, losing by a length after racing in traffic and bumping with a rival a quarter-mile from the finish. The Premier Cup was the fourth consecutive start in a group stakes for Lucky Express.

Hong Kong has a 10-race program beginning at 1 a.m. Eastern on Friday or 10 p.m. Pacific on Thursday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.