Verbinsky, Both Lucky look for handicap wins in Hong Kong
Verbinsky and Both Lucky have excellent chances to win divisions of $159,169 handicaps at six furlongs on turf at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
The handicaps are the seventh and eighth races on an eight-race program that begins at 7:15 a.m., Eastern.
Verbinsky is the 133-pound highweight in the seventh race, the American Club Challenge Cup. Trained by Tony Cruz, Verbinsky won for the third time in his career against a similar field at Happy Valley on Oct. 5, closing from fifth among 12 to win by a half-length as the 5-2 favorite.
Victory Marvel is a lower-weighted runner who could threaten Verbinsky. A 4-year-old gelding, Victory Marvel took a jump in class in his last start on Oct. 5 and finished a game third despite trouble less than five furlongs from the finish. Victory Marvel has been assigned 115 pounds.
Both Lucky closed from 11th in a field of 12 to win a six-furlong handicap in an upset on Sept. 28. A 5-year-old Irish-bred gelding, Both Lucky will carry 121 pounds in the eighth race, the Tai Tam Handicap.
The 127-pound topweight is Hang’s Decision, winner of a six-furlong handicap at Happy Valley on Sept. 7, and the runner-up to Both Lucky on Sept. 28. Hang’s Decision closed from ninth in that race to lose by 1 1/2 lengths.
Another threat is Happy Bao Bei, who was second in a six-furlong handicap on Sept. 21, but was found to have suffered a cut leg in the race. Despite that setback, Happy Bao Bei was beaten a length.
Earlier on the program, Inventor can win his fourth consecutive race in the $159,169 Fakei Cup at about a mile on turf. A 5-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, Inventor was a winner in May and twice in September, with all the races at about a mile at Happy Valley.
Inventor has been assigned 128 pounds, five less than topweight Northern Falls, who was third in a race on the all-weather track at Sha Tin on Oct. 8. The Fakei Cup will be the Hong Kong debut for Dinozzo, a maiden race winner at Navan Racecourse in Ireland last October in his only start.