Kurpany should benefit from weight allowance in Class 2 Happy Valley feature

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.

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Will Power, rated 100, carries top weight of 133 pounds, and while he merits consideration, the imposing impost might be too much to overcome. Will Power has made 10 of his 12 Hong Kong starts over the Sha Tin dirt track but two starts ago tried the Happy Valley turf course and appeared to like that just fine, finishing second, beaten a nose, at this distance and class level. Will Power is drawn well enough in post 3 and will have Karis Teetan, “The Mauritian Magician,” in the saddle.

Kurpany is rated 81, but the Hong Kong handicap system is all about giving lesser horses a chance against their supposed betters through the weighting process, and Kurpany, rated 81, gets 19 pounds from Will Power. Kurpany, trained by Caspar Fownes, known as “The King of the Valley” for his years of success on these midweek programs at Hong Kong’s city track, is the sort of horse popular in these handicaps, a lightly raced 4-year-old probably continuing to improve even as he gets plenty of weight from more accomplished rivals. French-bred Kurpany already is a two-time winner this Hong Kong season and has raced competitively in all six of his starts this term, moving from a series of 1,000-meter races to close well for third over 1,200 meters carrying 129 pounds in a Class 3 on Feb. 24.

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Igniting, who will tote 113 pounds because his jockey, Matthew Poon, is a two-pound apprentice, is another 4-year-old in good form. He’s undergone some equipment experimentation this season under the care of trainer Francis Lui, has speed, and was first or second in his last three starts, all 1,200-meter Class 3s at Happy Valley in which he packed much more weight than his Wednesday assignment.

Scores of Fun, from the stables of Hong Kong legend John Size, turned in a subpar performance in his most recent start but sheds a lot of weight – going from 133 pounds in his last two races to 115 Wednesday – while moving up from Happy Valley Class 3 competition.

First post for the card is 6:45 a.m. Eastern and you can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.