Herzegovina should handle layoff at Muswellbrook
Layoffs have not been an issue for the 5-year-old Australian gelding Herzegovina, who starts in a five-furlong handicap at Muswellbrook Racecourse on Monday.
Steve AndersenJan 16, 2021
Layoffs have not been an issue for the 5-year-old Australian gelding Herzegovina, who starts in a five-furlong handicap at Muswellbrook Racecourse on Monday.
Hong Kong Selections for Sunday, January 17, 2020 at Sha Tin
The Sunday feature at Sha Tin could have implications as far afield as Dubai. Kings Shield, the top weight and likely favorite in featured race 3, already has been entered in the Godolphin Mile, the Group 2 dirt fixture in late March at Meydan Racecourse, trainer Frankie Lor told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity this week. Glorious Artist, another Lor trainee in the Sunday feature, also was an early entrant into the Godolphin Mile.
A tour of smaller venues continues on Sunday when Upper House runs at Cowra Racecourse in the Cowra Cup. The venue and the distance of 1 1/16 miles are new for Upper House, who has won 9 of 42 starts.
Kings Shield (133lb) has developed into a dominant force on the dirt in Hong Kong and this Sunday (17 January) at Sha Tin he’ll look to stamp his authority on the surface once again in the Class 1 Egret Handicap (dirt, 1650m), doing so with a trip to Dubai on the radar.
Bulletin, the winner of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs, will have his first start in nearly seven months in a tough handicap at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Sunday, January 17, 2021 at Sha Tin.
A six-month layoff was not an issue for Penshurst in a handicap at 7 3/4 furlongs at Murwillumbah Racecourse in Australia on Dec. 28. An 8-1 chance, Penshurst closed from sixth in a field of eight to win by 1 1/2 lengths for his second victory in three starts. The sharp record – back in June and more recently – has left the gelding Penshurst with a leading chance in Friday’s Ballina Cup at about a mile at Ballina Racecourse.
Teaming with the prolific Joao Moreira, Peter Ho struck a David and Goliath blow for the smallest stable in Hong Kong by lodging his 600th career winner, prompting the veteran trainer to laud his former champions Mr Medici and Packing Winner.
Whisky‘n’diamonds and Hay Bale have thrived at Moruya Racecourse in Australia, the venue where their current trainers are based. They are both multiple winners at the small coastal venue south of Sydney and were first and second in the minor Christmas Cup at 6 1/2 furlongs there on Dec. 20. While those performances were promising, Whisky’n’diamonds and Hay Bale face tougher rivals in Thursday’s Moruya Cup at about seven furlongs.