Hong Kong: Lucky Express can begin Year of the Tiger on winning note at Sha Tin

A Class 1 handicap highlights Day 1 of the Year of the Tiger on a special Lunar New Year’s racing program Thursday at Sha Tin.

Happy Valley Racecourse usually hosts weekday racing in Hong Kong but the Chinese New Year celebration this week changes the schedule. First post for the 10-race card is 11:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, and you can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.

The featured fourth race is for horses rated 110-85 and carded for 1,400 meters, about seven furlongs, with Sha Tin using it’s “B+2” course, and even rated at 107 and carrying 131 pounds, Lucky Express looks formidable.

Zac Purton has booked himself (there being no jockey agents in Hong Kong) to ride Lucky Express, who’s well enough drawn in post 6 in a race that ought to unfold at a fair tempo. By Toronado and a 5-year-old bred on Southern Hemisphere time in Australia, Lucky Express managed a second last Hong Kong season in the Hong Kong Classic Mile, first leg of the 4-year-old classic series.

Increasing distances in the Hong Kong Cup and Hong Kong Derby proved too much for Lucky Express, who, following the 2000-meter Hong Kong Derby, bounced right back to form when trainer John Size moved him into a Class 2 handicap over Thursday’s 1,400-meter distance.

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Lucky Express started his ongoing campaign with a course, distance, and class-level win four races ago. He went a little flat stretched to 1,600 meters in his second out, found the competition in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile much too tough, and on Jan. 1 missed by a neck going 1,400 meters in Group 3 company. If he runs to his current form and gets any luck, he should beat this bunch.

Will Power at 109 has earned his top rating in this race through his dirt performances, while Buddies, rated 106, has only managed to win when afforded a comfortable lead while carrying a low weight.

Californiadeepshot exits a pair of dirt races but does handle 1,400 meters on Sha Tin turf and rates a win chance under Joao Moreira. The big rating riser is Cheerful Days, who gets 18 pounds from Lucky Express, but while his last Sha Tin start (he’s been racing at Happy Valley) yielded a 1,400-meter win, it came at the Class 4 level.

Romantic Warrior, still unbeaten, wins Classic Cup

Romantic Warrior ran his career mark to five wins from five starts with a half-length success Sunday in the $1.54 million Hong Kong Classic Mile.

First leg of the 4-year-old classic series, the Classic Mile drew 14 entrants and, in typical Sha Tin style, featured a moderate opening 400 meters with the tempo quickening into the turn. California Spangle crossed and cleared from post 13 while trying a distance longer than 1,200 meters for the first time, staving off mild pace pressure and going clear in upper stretch.

Meanwhile, breaking from the rail under Karis Teetan, Romantic Warrior stuck to the fence down the backstretch and around the turn, racing in the third flight, but Teetan found room to creep closer when rivals in front of him peeled off the inside to make their run.

Romantic Warrior himself was guided off the rail after turning for home, with Teetan forced to await running room, his mount responding affirmatively once a gap opened in mid-stretch. Romantic Warrior wore down California Spangle while clocking 1:33.80, only the fifth sub 1:34 Classic Mile time since 2000.

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The Irishman finished third but was 2 1/4 lengths behind California Spangle.

Romantic Warrior is trained by Clifford Shum, who also sent out Packing Victory, last as the tepid favorite. An Irish-bred by Acclamation out of Folk Melody, by Street Cry, Romantic Warrior was offered as an unraced import at auction by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Romantic Warrior only debuted in October, winning a pair of Class 4 handicaps at Happy Valley and two Class 3s at Sha Tin before stepping out to a distance as long as 1,600 meters for the first time and capturing the Classic Mile. Rated just 85 going into Sunday’s contest, Romantic Warrior’s mark was bumped up to 101 this week.

The gelding would seem a likely candidate for the series’ next leg, the Hong Kong Classic Cup over 1,800 meters on Feb. 27.

* Also on Sunday, Zebrowski, taking advantage of a soft 113-pound impost, won the Group 3 Centenary Vase over 1,800 meters. Ridden by Matthew Poon for trainer Caspar Fownes, Zebrowski, a winner of his prior start in the Group 3 January Cup at Happy Valley, held on by a nose over Butterfield in the Centenary Vase.

Savvy Nine finished third as lower-rated horses dominated this handicap. Favored Excellent Proposal clunked home ninth of 10.

Five-year-old Zebrowski, a New Zealand-bred, is by Savabeel out of Polish Princess, by Polish Precedent.