Australia: Knight has weight edge in Fred Cooper Cup
Since the first of October, the handicap rating of the 4-year-old Australian-bred gelding Knight has risen steadily, boosted by two wins in his last three starts.
Steve AndersenDec 16, 2020
Since the first of October, the handicap rating of the 4-year-old Australian-bred gelding Knight has risen steadily, boosted by two wins in his last three starts.
On consecutive days earlier this month, Amica and Secretly Awesome won handicaps at 1 1/8 miles in Australia by less than a length. For Amica, a 4-year-old Australian-bred mare, a win on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick on Dec. 4 was her second in three starts and fourth of her 10-race career. A day later at Newcastle, Secretly Awesome won for the third time in his sixth career start, his first victory since May. Amica and Secretly Awesome meet for the first time on Thursday in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles on the Kensington course.
Reinvigorated after a two-week break, Blake Shinn is optimistic Handsome Bo Bo can reprise a distant habit of building winning streaks with a strong performance in the Class 3 Cochrane Handicap (1000m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday (16 December).
Swift Witness will have her career debut in Wednesday’s $150,800 Magic Millions 2-year-old Classic at Wyong Racecourse in Australia with the expectation of immediate success.
Vindicating Aidan O’Brien’s long-held faith, Mogul has emphatically underlined claims as heir apparent to Ballydoyle’s throne after claiming victory in the HK$20 million LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m).
Danon Smash followed in the footsteps of his sire Lord Kanaloa with a thrilling victory for Japan in the 2020 G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), their third in the HK$22 million contest’s 21-year history.
They came, they saw, they tried to blunt his dash, but they failed to conquer Golden Sixty: Hong Kong’s burgeoning hometown hero dismantled his international rivals in the HK$25 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin with an exquisite performance.
Zac Purton has crowned a week of stellar milestones by becoming the first rider in history to partner nine LONGINES Hong Kong International Races winners after Japanese mare Normcore upstaged Win Bright and Magical in the HK$28 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m).
The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges saluted Hong Kong's “unique spirit and resilience” after a successful staging of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races featuring G1 glory across four world-class features shared between Japan, Ireland and Hong Kong at Sha Tin today (Sunday 13 December).
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at Happy Valley.