Compared to his 13 rivals in a handicap at Tamworth Racecourse in Australia on Monday, Sir Clooney is at the start of his career. A winner of 1 of 5 starts, Sir Clooney is the most lightly raced runner in the field, and seems capable of improvement, judging from a second in a handicap at about seven furlongs at Quirindi Racecourse last Monday.
Hong Kong selections for Sha Tin on Sunday, May 17, 2020.
Hong Kong selections for Happy Valley on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
Almond Eye, the 2018 Japanese Horse of the Year, has not raced since a ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse in December, the only time she has finished outside the top three in her 11-race career. Nearly five months later, Almond Eye will be a heavy favorite to win the Grade 1 Victoria Mile against fillies and mares at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday.
Grand Crown had won two of his three preceding starts before a seventh-place finish in the Gold Heath Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia on April 18. Grand Crown was beaten 3 1/4 lengths in the race at 1 1/4 miles on turf, the longest race of his career. Grand Crown will have another try at the distance in Sunday’s Casterton Foodworks Cup at Casterton Racecourse.
Just as in April you might have started looking at Fonner Park form for the first time, a swing through the race card Friday at Lyon-Parilly could keep a dedicated American horseplayer going through the morning hours Friday.
No one is in cracking form, there are no obviously improving horses, and the featured eighth race Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse is a real handicapping slog.
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.
