At 1 1/2 miles on soft to heavy ground, In Swoop is about as good as any horse in Europe, and it appears he will get the right conditions in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday in France.
Flying Agent is on a three-race winning streak in Australia that consists of a two-mile hurdle in April, a prestigious steeplechase at 2 1/8 miles in May, and a flat handicap at 1 3/8 miles in June. Yes, Flying Agent can seemingly do it all, which is why he is the odds-on favorite to win Sunday’s $75,200 Thackeray Steeplechase at 2 1/8 miles at Warrnambool Racecourse.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Sunday, July 4, 2021 at Sha Tin.
The Australian 3-year-old filly Palaisipan has had flawless sprint form in the last three months, going undefeated in four starts at distances ranging from 5 1/2 furlongs to 6 3/4 furlongs and have led to Palaisipan’s stakes debut in Saturday’s Group 3 Winx Stakes at Sunshine Coast Racecourse, where she will race at a mile for the first time in a field of 16 in her fifth start.
Even a four-horse field can pack a strong punch, as evidenced by the Eclipse Stakes on Saturday at Sandown Park Racecourse in England.
Australian apprentice jockey Tianna Chapman will always remember Typhoon Harmony, the 4-year-old gelding who gave the 22-year-old rider her first win with her third career mount at Geelong Racecourse near Melbourne on June 18. Chapman has since added to that success, winning a second race at Moe Racecourse on June 24. Her next mount is aboard Typhoon Harmony in a handicap at about 6 1/2 furlongs at Geelong on Friday.
Hong Kong Selections for Thursday, July 1, 2021 at Sha Tin.
Shotgun Alli showed little in her first two starts last November and December, finishing sixth and eighth. Six months later, the situation has changed remarkably. Shotgun Alli beat maidens in her first start in five months on May 27 at Gosford Park and followed that success with her first victory against winners in a handicap on June 13 at Hawkesbury Racecourse.
Joao Moreira has a hammerlock on the Hong Kong jockey standings during the 2020-21 season, adding three more wins to his total last Saturday at Sha Tin, and Moreira could be on another winner in the featured seventh race on a rare Thursday card at Sha Tin.
A series of narrow losses in the last six weeks has done nothing to damage the reputation of Smokin’ Romans, who will start favored in a competitive handicap at 1 5/16 miles at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday.
