Ugly Warrior an attractive choice in Nathan Handicap

The 4-year-old gelding Ugly Warrior certainly has an attractive race record on the infield dirt course at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong.

Ugly Warrior has won 5 of 6 starts on the surface, and there is no reason to believe he should not be a factor in Sunday’s $249,293 Nathan Handicap at six furlongs on dirt at Sha Tin.

Trained by Me Tsui, Ugly Warrior has won his last two starts, including his only appearance at the current season in a six-furlong handicap on the dirt course at Sha Tin on Oct. 13.

For Sunday’s race, Ugly Warrior will carry 129 pounds and will be ridden by apprentice jockey Vincent Ho, who was aboard for the most recent recent win. Ugly Warrior breaks from post 4 in a field of 12, which should aid his tactical style.

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The field is a mix of dirt specialists and horses who have raced on turf. Perpetual Treasure, who will carry 122 pounds, was 12th behind Ugly Warrior on Oct. 13, but rebounded to win a lower-class race on dirt on Oct. 31 as a 43-1 outsider. He meets tougher competition in this field, where he figures to be a longshot.

Wah May Friend, from the stable of leading trainer Tony Cruz, is the 133-pound topweight and is winless in his last 11 starts. Wah May Friend, winless in five starts on dirt, is dropping in class following a 13th-place finish in a tougher handicap on turf on Nov. 10. A third-place finish in a seven-furlong handicap at Sha Tin on Oct. 7 was a brighter race. Wah May Friend led in that field, and could be part of the pace in the Nathan Handicap.

The Nathan Handicap will be the first start in Hong Kong for the European imports Bear Slam and Glorious Spectrum.

Bear Slam, who raced in England under the name Purser, won the King Charles II Stake at Newmarket in May, but was 11th in stakes in June and July when trained by John Gosden.

Glorious Spectrum, who raced in Italy under the name Met Spectrum, won three stakes in Milan in 2017 and in July of this year.