Gallant Crown will look to extend his unbeaten run to four when he lines up in Wednesday’s (17 March) Class 3 Hereford Handicap (1650m) at Happy Valley and jockey Karis Teetan is optimistic that he can continue his climb up the handicap.
Magnavale, a 6-year-old Australian-bred mare, has exceeded expectations in three starts this year, winning once and finishing second twice at odds of 10-1 or higher in sprint races. Thursday, Magnavale will be the focus for bettors in the Barlens City Handicap at about six furlongs at Albury Racecourse in Australia.
Contenders abound in the feature ninth race Wednesday at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong. Called the Chester Handicap, the last race on the card is a Class 2 over 1,200 meters for horses rated 100-80, and it drew a full field of 12.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at Happy Valley.
Petronius starts in a seven-furlong handicap on the infield Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
For the second consecutive year, a late setback will prevent the star steeplechaser Altior from running in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse in England on Wednesday.
Race 7 on Sunday's Sha Tin card looks very much like the last Group 1 sprint stakes run in Hong Kong, the Centenary Sprint Cup on Jan. 24. The top five finishers, headed by victorious Hot King Prawn, run back in Sunday’s race, along with Buddies, who was seventh in the Centenary Sprint. The other three in the Sunday Class 1 are Winning Dreamer, Sky Field, and Wellington, and more on them shortly.
The three leading contenders in the $96,957 Yarra Valley Cup are the British-bred Skyman and the Irish-breds Hang Man and Dabiyr. The Yarra Cup is run at about 1 1/4 miles, an ideal distance for Skyman, who was even-money in early betting on Friday.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup steeplechase on March 13, 2020, was the last sporting event of the year before a full audience in Great Britain – and just about anywhere else. The track announced a crowd of 65,859 attended the seven-race program. When the race is run this Friday, the official attendance will be 0.
Hong Kong Selections for Saturday, March 13, 2021 at Shat Tin.
