Waldorf makes second Hong Kong start in Daffodil Handicap

ARCADIA, Calif. - Waldorf was a two-time stakes winner in New Zealand last year before being exported to Hong Kong.

The colt was seventh in his debut at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Jan. 28, in a minor handicap at five furlongs on turf.

The experience could be invaluable.

Wednesday, Waldorf will have his second start in Hong Kong in the $167,512 Daffodil Handicap at six furlongs on turf at Happy Valley Racecourse. Waldorf is the 133-pounds highweight in a field of 12, an assignment based largely on his New Zealand form of three wins in eight starts.

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Trained by Tony Cruz, Waldorf will be ridden by Mick Chadwick in the Daffodil Handicap, a race that appears to lack a standout. Waldorf is the only 3-year-old in a field of older horses.

Last summer, Waldorf won consecutive starts in the Ryder Stakes for 2-year-olds in July and the Wanganui Guineas for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds in September.

Encore Boy, a 4-year-old who will carry 116 pounds, will draw support after a solid third-place finish at Happy Valley on Jan. 10 in his second start of the Hong Kong season, which began in September. The presence of leading rider Joao Moreira will further depress Encore Boy’s odds.

Prince Harmony, a 5-year-old who will carry 125 pounds, is a danger as the pacesetter. Prince Harmony finished second and fifth in January in his first two starts of the season. Last July, Prince Harmony led throughout a similar race at six furlongs on turf at Happy Valley.

The eight-race program ends with the $167,512 Daisy Handicap at about a mile and 50 yards on turf. Cruz and Moreira team with Mister Monte, who was 11th in a race on the all-weather surface at Sha Tin in January, but had much brighter form on turf in December and earlier in January.