Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Analysis for Sunday, March 19, 2023
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Analysis for Sha Tin's Hong Kong Derby card on Sunday, March 19, 2023
webmasterMar 16, 2023
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Analysis for Sha Tin's Hong Kong Derby card on Sunday, March 19, 2023
The 9-year-old Envoi Allen and 11-year-old Sire Du Berlais have been an annual presence at the National Hunt Festival each March at Cheltenham Racecourse in England since the late 2010s. On Thursday, they recorded upset wins in consecutive Grade 1 races at the prestigious meeting.
Brave Emperor fought off two rivals in the final sixteenth to win for the fifth time in his seventh start in the $72,600 Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes at Kempton Park near London on Wednesday.
Had Burrandana finished first or second in a seven-furlong handicap at Albury Racecourse in Australia on Feb. 25, he would have qualified for a $330,500 stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse. Burrandana has one more chance to qualify for that lucrative final when he starts in a field of 16 in a trial race at Goulburn Racecourse on Thursday evening.
The last time Galopin Des Champs raced at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, the gelding fell at the final fence while holding a 12-length lead in a Grade 1 steeplechase for novices last March. He was the odds-on favorite. Galopin Des Champs has not made a mistake since, winning three Grade 1 races in Ireland since last April. The 7-year-old's improved manners have made him the horse to beat in a return trip to England for Friday's Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Kayobi had a sparkling conclusion to his 2022 season in Australia, winning his final three starts from mid-June to mid-October. Kayobi will start as a slight favorite in the $100,000 Midway Provincial Championship qualifier at Gosford Racecourse on Wednesday evening.
Shishkin will start as an odds-on favorite in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at about 2 1/2 miles at Cheltenham Racecourse on Thursday, the third day of the four-day Cheltenham festival.
In 10 starts in two-mile chases, steeplechaser Edwardstone and jockey Tom Cannon have won six races, including three Grade 1 stakes, and finished second twice. The consistency has left Edwardstone as Britain’s leading chance in Wednesday’s Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at two miles at Cheltenham Racecourse.
The Irish-bred geldings Oz Legend and Tip of the Spear met for the first time when they finished first and second in a handicap at 1 1/2 miles at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Australia on Feb. 23. They will be reunited as part of a tougher field of rivals in a handicap at the same marathon distance at Warwick Farm on Tuesday evening.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Wednesday, March 15, 2023.