Perfect Match must overcome several obstacles at Sha Tin

It’s tough to win Hong Kong races in bunches, yet the Australian-bred 4-year-old Perfect Match has visited the winner’s circle six times already during his 11-start Hong Kong career. Perfect Match comes into the featured 10th race Sunday at Sha Tin on a two-race winning streak, but there are clear obstacles to a third straight tally.

Perfect Match, trained by Cliff Shum, picks up the services of leading Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton on Sunday, but he also picks up 17 pounds from his most recent start, carrying 130 pounds on Sunday compared to the 113 he toted on the way to a front-running victory in his most recent race. Also, Perfect Match cuts back to 1,200 meters in this Class 2 handicap and has scored his last five wins in 1,400-meter races. His draw in post 11 with a relatively short run to the first turn also does him no favors, and despite his obvious attributes, the gelding might not be, well, a perfect match for the Sunday feature.

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Jockeys are their own agents in Hong Kong and it therefore seems likely Purton chose Perfect Match over Transcendent, whom he rode to victory March 14 in a 1,200-meter Class 3 handicap. Transcendent shipped poorly from Sha Tin to Happy Valley for what was supposed to be his Hong Kong debut in December, and though he rallied encouragingly from ninth to win his first local start, Transcendent was only narrowly home and faces higher-level rivals Sunday.

Transcendent is up five points in the ratings, Perfect Match six points, and the interesting Computer Patch also up six to 91 after a last start win at Sha Tin. Trainer John Moore cut Computer Patch back from one-turn, 1,200-meter starts to a straight 1,000 meters March 8, and Computer Patch responded by bulling his way between horses a furlong and a half from the finish and scoring a game head victory. Computer Patch, who still has ample upside, won a Sha Tin race at Sunday’s distance in December, should prove capable of stretching back out to a one-turn sprint, is drawn well enough in post 7, and gets four pounds from Perfect Match.

The other ratings riser, Perfect Vision, is up five points but has only Happy Valley form to recommend him.

Post time for the feature is 5:50 a.m. Eastern on Sunday morning; first post for the card is 12:45 a.m. Eastern.