Pair of Class 2 handicaps highlights rare Sunday card at Happy Valley

Weekend racing in Hong Kong nearly always is the province of Sha Tin Racecourse, but this Sunday’s 10-race card comes at the normal weekday venue, Happy Valley.

A pair of Class 2 handicaps highlights the 10-race card, which has a first post of 1:00 a.m. Eastern. Race 10, the nominal feature, is the Yip Fat Handicap over 1200 meters, while race 9 is the Wong Chuk Hang, contested at 1,650 meters, one circuit around Happy Valley’s irregularly shaped course. The races will be streamed live and are open for wagering at DRF Bets.

The Yip Fat is for horses rated 80-100, and the horse at the top of the scale, Line Seeker, totes 133 pounds, as much as 19 more than his rivals. He hasn’t started at Happy Valley since March 2016, and though he did win a Class 3 race at Sunday’s distance in his most recent Happy Valley start, Line Seeker probably doesn’t have a great enough current form edge to compensate for all the weight he carries.

Mr. Genuine, on the other hand, is something of a Happy Valley specialist, and while he’s lost seven in a row, his form in a three-start campaign this season is solid enough, and Mr. Genuine’s 123-pound impost, which includes jockey Zac Purton, seems manageable.

Southern Legend has only four Hong Kong starts but fits this spot. He won his lone start, a 1200-meter race, at Happy Valley last season, and most recently rallied for second in a similar race Oct. 1 at Sha Tin.

Jumbo Luck rose swiftly in rating last season and started his current campaign with a decent showing at a similar level at Sha Tin. He can contend if his capability transfers to Happy Valley, where he’s never started.

Almababy races frequently and rarely wins, but has shown affinity for the course and distance.

In the secondarily featured race 9, Sichuan Dar and Gonna Run exit last-start wins, which, in Hong Kong terms, makes them horses unlikely to get their picture taken on Sunday. Both rose considerably in the ratings, which means they pick up weight while facing similar competition. Big Bang Bong gets five pounds from the high-weights and after two Sha Tin starts to begin the season should appreciate a return to Happy Valley, which might be his preferred course.