Declan Schuster's Hong Kong selections and analysis for Sunday, May 17, 2020
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong selections and analysis for Sunday, May 17, 2020 at Sha Tin.
webmasterMay 14, 2020
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong selections and analysis for Sunday, May 17, 2020 at Sha Tin.
Trainer Francis Graffard had a nice 3-year-old colt sprint winner Wednesday at Chantilly, where Wooded captured the Group 3 Prix Texanita by 1 1/2 lengths. Thursday at Longchamp, Graffard sends out a nice 3-year-old route filly when Emoji starts in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux, a prep for the Prix de Diane, France’s version of the Oaks.
The older horses Big Duke, Chief Ironside, and Sixties Groove were foaled in Great Britain and Ireland, and won the first races of their careers in Britain before being exported to Australia. They are all trained by Kris Lees, have won group-level races, and started, with mixed results, in Group 1 races in the last year. They are the three highest-weighted horses in Friday’s $103,200 Scone Cup at a mile at Scone Racecourse, north of Sydney.
Gytrash will try to continue his success at Morphettville Racecourse in Saturday's Group 1 Goodwood Stakes at six furlongs.
The English bookmakers, at least, aren’t seeing much separating most of the 13 3-year-olds entered in the Group 3 Prix Texanita, featured race Wednesday on a 10-race program at Chantilly.
Head Spins was a fast-closing second in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs on April 25 at Gosford Racecourse in Australia, missing by a nose to an 18-1 rival. The narrow loss was the second start of 2020 for Head Spins and may have been an ideal prep for a six-furlong handicap Thursday at Wyong Racecourse.
Enzel did his best Secretariat impression in his career debut last Nov. 19 at Saint-Cloud. What Enzel can do as a follow-up to the epic debut will be demonstrated Tuesday, when Enzel makes his second start and 3-year-old debut in the co-featured Prix Torbillon, the eighth of 10 races at Saint-Cloud.
From Argentina by way of Hong Kong, the 7-year-old gelding He Runs Away has found a new home this year with top trainer Chris Waller in Australia.
Easily the most interesting horse in four Class 3 races on Wednesday's Happy Valley card is Delightful Laos, an Irish import by Baltic King who won in a similar spot just a few weeks back.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong selections and analysis for Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at Happy Valley.