The Australian gelding Show Me Mercy ran out of ground when he rallied from sixth to finish third by a neck in the Gold Edition Stakes at six furlongs at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane on Dec. 16.

The loss was only the second time that Show Me Mercy has been beaten in five starts and confirmed his position as a formidable sprinter. 

Show Me Mercy has an excellent chance for his first stakes win in the Group 3 Magic Millions Rogue Plate for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds at 6 3/4 furlongs at Doomben Racecourse in Brisbane on Friday evening.

A ground-saving trip helped Indispensable record a 25-1 upset over 3-10 favorite The Inevitable in the Conquering Stakes at seven furlongs at Launceston Racecourse on the island of Tasmania in Australia on Dec. 13.

The rematch occurs in the $85,500 Tasmanian Stakes at a mile at Hobart Racecourse in Tasmania on Thursday evening.

The longer distance and the venue may favor The Inevitable, who has won four of six career starts at Hobart, including the most recent running of the Tasmanian Stakes in January.

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Friday, December 29, 2023)

Shin Emperor, who starts in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan on Wednesday evening, is a 2-year-old with a fascinating pedigree.

Bred in France, Shin Emperor is by the prominent stallion Siyouni and is out of Starlet’s Sister, making him a full-brother to Sottsass, the winner of the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris in 2020;, and a half-sister to Sistercharlie, who won the Eclipse Award as the champion turf female of 2018 in the United States.

Lekvarte seems to be a different mare than she was when fifth in the Group 3 Belle of the Turf Stakes at Gosford Racecourse in Australia in December 2022.

Lekvarte has won her last two starts, only the second time in her 24-race career she has accomplished such a feat.

The recent success, achieved in competitive handicaps on important race days since mid-November, suggests that Lekvarte can win the first group-level stakes of her career in the $204,300 Belle of the Turf Stakes at a mile on Wednesday evening.

By Leo Schlink

The HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 24 March shapes a potential target for Fallon after Tony Cruz’s young stayer showcased Four-Year-Old Classic Series potential with a spectacular win in the Class 4 Tin Wan Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on Tuesday (26 December).

Carrying 135lb, the Galileo Gold three-year-old surged from the tail of the field at the 400m in 22.84s for Keith Yeung after starting from barrier 14 in a performance which left Cruz pondering a Classic tilt.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Tuesday, December 26, 2023) 
 
Race 1: #6 Happy Tango, #9 Call Me Teddy, #5 Goodmanship, #3 Rattan World
Race 2: #3 Noble One, #7 Compulsory, #4 Fire Ball, #5 Fortune Master
Race 3: #5 Youthful Deal, #2 Seasons Wit, #1 Ping Hai Galaxy, #3 Chancheng Prince
Race 4: #7 Manythanks Forever, #1 Baby Crystal, #2 Flying Dragon, #4 Crazy Treasure
Race 5: #7 Super Sixty, #8 Top Scorer, #4 Mr Maestro, #2 Phoenix Light
Race 6: #9 Cool Blue, #8 Aca Power, #11 Lean Master, #2 Man Star

Paul Lally: 
R1 10-11-8-6 
R2 4-3-2-7 
R3 2-4-3-1 
R4 1-4-13-5 
R5 6-12-4-8 
R6 6-9-1-11 
R7 8-1-3-11 
R8 10-9-11-8 
R9 8-10-2-3 
R10 4-2-9-1 
Best Bet R10 N4 Chancheng Glory 
Longshot R6 N6 Speedy Smartie 
Play R4 QQP 1-4-13 

Huetor, winner of the Group 1 Doomben Cup in Australia in May, will lug topweight of 132 pounds in the Group 3 Summer Cup at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Monday evening.

While the assignment is hefty, Huetor has left clues in his last two starts that he is ready for a peak effort in the $169,900 Summer Cup, which is run at 1 1/4 miles and drew a field of 11.

There are familiar rivals in a seven-furlong handicap at Tamworth Racecourse in Australia on Saturday evening.

Arrabbiata, an intriguing outsider, beat Macleay by three-quarters of a length in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Armidale Racecourse on Dec. 3. They have a rematch at Tamworth.

For Macleay, the Armidale race was his first start since Christmas Eve 2022 and may have been an ideal prep for this weekend’s race. Macleay was the 2-1 favorite in early betting as of Friday.