Hong Kong: Nearly Fine moves up in class, stretches out in Happy Valley Class 3

The late kick that has been a common style for the 4-year-old gelding Nearly Fine finally carried him to a win for the first time in his 12th start in Hong Kong in a race at about a mile at Happy Valley Racecourse on April 13.

What worked at a mile will be tried at the new distance of 1 1/8 miles when the Australian-bred starts in a Class 3 handicap at Happy Valley on Wednesday.

Trained by Caspar Fownes, Nearly Fine will be ridden by Joao Moreira, who through Saturday, the most recent day of racing in Hong Kong, led the standings with 114 wins, five more than perennial rival Zac Purton.

Moreira has ridden Nearly Fine in his last two starts, beginning with a promising third-place finish by 1 3/4 lengths in a handicap at about a mile at Happy Valley on March 16. That race and the April 13 race were in Class 4 competition, for horses with official handicap ratings ranging from 40 to 60. The Class 3 handicap on Wednesday is restricted to horses rated 60 to 80.

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Because Nearly Fine has been given a career-high rating of 66 by Hong Kong racing officials, he will carry 119 pounds, 14 fewer than Savvy Kingman, who is rated at 80. Savvy Kingman won a Class 3 handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Happy Valley on Feb. 6, but has since finished eighth and 13th.

A race at 1 1/8 miles at Happy Valley is new for Gameplayer Times, who finished a good second in a Class 3 handicap at about a mile at Happy Valley on April 27 and makes a relatively quick turnaround. Gameplayer Times tends to run closer to the pace, and will be a runner for Nearly Fine to catch.

Gameplayer Times was eighth in his only prior start at 1 1/8 miles at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong in June 2020. Gameplayer Times, trained by former top Hong Kong jockey Doug Whyte, was a Group 1 stakes winner at a mile in Brazil in 2019, when he raced under the name Glory Boy, but has struggled in Hong Kong, winning once in 21 starts.

The recent second suggests he could be on the verge of another win, if he can hold off Nearly Fine.

Happy Valley has a nine-race program on Wednesday, beginning at 6:45 a.m. Eastern or 3:45 a.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.