Miss Charlie Brown will need another good trip to hold off Bundle of Fun and Honeycreeper in Sunday’s $107,800 Tasmanian Oaks at Launceston.
In the last two years, Nature Strip has been honored as Australia’s Horse of the Year for the 2019-20 season and won the world’s richest sprint in the $11.05 million Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney last October. Regaining those titles is a goal for the 2022 season, which begins for Nature Strip in Saturday’s Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at five furlongs at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Sunday, February 20, 2022 at Sha Tin.
Lazuli finished a good second in the Dubai Sprint at six furlongs on turf at Meydan on Jan. 28 in his first start since Saratoga and can easily improve from that performance in Friday’s Group 2 Blue Point Stakes at five furlongs on turf at Meydan.
Theo Legion has raced at a variety of smaller tracks in the state of New South Wales in 22 starts since the beginning of his career in January 2020. Theo Legion is perfect in three starts at Quirindi Racecourse, about 175 miles north of Sydney. His perfect record will be tested in Friday’s Quirindi Cup at a mile.
Freaky Freckles, a 5-year-old Australian-bred mare, is winless in three starts since a seven-furlong handicap at Goulburn Racecourse last August. The win in her not-too-distant past looks very important as Freaky Freckles returns to the same venue for a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs on Thursday in her first start since September.
There are four Class 3 handicaps on the Wednesday card at Happy Valley, but only one of them, race 2, falls beyond the typical Happy Valley fare.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at Happy Valley.
The team of Crystal Waters and jockey Winona Costin are tough to ignore in a seven-furlong handicap for fillies and mares on the infield Kensington track at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday.
Race conditions may favor Fenech in a handicap at 6 3/4 furlongs at Wyong Racecourse in Australia on Tuesday.
