Winner Supreme a good fit in Mody Handicap

They’re on the dirt for the Sunday feature at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong.

Race 8, the Mody Handicap, is a Class 2 event for horses rated 100-80 carded for 1200 meters (about six furlongs) over the track surface officially referred to as the “all-weather track” but actually composed of dirt.

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There aren’t a lot of dirt-loving horses in Hong Kong, but Winner Supreme seems to have taken to the surface and comes into Sunday’s start on the heels of a 2 3/4-length course-and-distance win on Sept. 21. Winner Supreme won that race, a Class 3 handicap, so emphatically that the Hong Kong handicapping and race-planning department boosted his rating a whopping 10 points, up to 85. That still lands Winner Surpreme in the middle of the ranks for Sunday’s start, and at 118 pounds (including jockey Karis Teetan), he still gets 14 pounds from the horse at the top of the ratings, Saul’s Special, whose form lacks appeal. Winner Supreme has previous Sha Tin dirt form to back up the last-start score, including two wins last Hong Kong season and a solid third-place finish in his first race this year.

Big Time Baby won a dirt race at this class level and distance to start his season before turning in two lesser efforts on turf, while one-run closer Fortune Booth will hope for a strong pace up front.

Duke Wai, up seven points, is the big ratings riser in the card’s featured turf race, a 1000-meter straight-course Class 3 handicap carded as race 7. Duke Wai closed furiously from 14th place to win a Nov. 3 Class 4 handicap over the same trip while making just his second start of the season and only his sixth in Hong Kong. His competition includes four horses who make their Hong Kong debuts, including top-rated Seventh Sea and Stronger.

First post for the 10-race card is 10:15 p.m. Eastern on Saturday night.