Hong Kong: The Rock leads feature in rare Wednesday card at Sha Tin

The Rock returns to the dirt on a rare Wednesday racing program at Sha Tin.

Wednesday racing in Hong Kong nearly always takes place at Happy Valley, but the holiday season has reshaped the regular schedule. There was racing Monday, Dec. 27, rather than the usual Sunday card at Sha Tin, and Wednesday’s all-dirt program is followed by a New Year’s Day card on Saturday. The normal pattern – Happy Valley on Wednesday, Sha Tin on Sunday – holds for the rest of January.

As for The Rock, he does not seem to care whether his races come at Happy Valley or Sha Tin, and his two previous dirt tries at Sha Tin looked comparable to his very solid turf form. The most recent of those came Oct. 27 in a Class 2 handicap over 1,650 meters, the same conditions under which The Rock runs Wednesday. There, The Rock rallied from sixth to finish second of eight, though he was beaten more than two lengths by front-running Kings Shield.

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Kings Shield also is part of Wednesday’s seven-horse field, and his last-start turf flop can be dismissed since the gelding goes much better on dirt. He was a 10-1 shot when he slipped away to an easy lead in the Oct. 27 race, and there are several horses who, theoretically, can keep him honest this time. When last they met, The Rock carried 127 pounds, Kings Shield 131, but the spread Wednesday is 13, Kings Shield weighted 133, The Rock getting in at just 120, including Hong Kong’s leading jockey, Joao Moreira.

* In Monday’s racing, Moreira and The Rock’s trainer, Caspar Fownes, teamed up with Senor Toba to win the featured third race, a Class 2 handicap over 2,000 meters, by a half-length, validating his position as a main contender for the Hong Kong Derby over the same trip next spring. Senor Toba ran down loose leader Enjoying, notching his first Hong Kong win in his third start. Senor Toba is an Australian import by Toronado and was one of several sharp winners on the Monday card, along with Prime Minister, Sight Spirit, and Untold Riches.

First post for Wednesday’s card is 5:15 a.m. Eastern. You can get in on all the action at DRFBets.com.