By Declan Schuster

Adefill (129lb) was one of last season’s best performers on dirt and trainer Ricky Yiu has his sights set on further riches this campaign when the Deep Field gelding resumes in Wednesday night’s (25 October) Class 3 Shek Uk Shan Handicap (1650m) at Sha Tin’s eight-race all-dirt programme.

Adefill advanced out of sight once he traded in the turf for dirt. He posted a hat-trick of wins from six starts on the surface, including one almighty score by over six lengths, while his other three outings haven’t seen him finish worse than third.

The Australian filly Fine Example can complete a perfect October when she attempts to win a third consecutive start in a handicap at 1 5/16 miles at Gosford Racecourse on Wednesday evening.

Fine Example has already won twice this month, a handicap at about 1 5/16 miles at Goulburn on Oct. 3, and a handicap at 1 1/4 miles against a slightly tougher class of runners at Coffs Harbour 10 days later.

The absence of a clear favorite will make for an intriguing betting race in an eight-runner handicap at 1 1/2 miles at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Australia on Tuesday evening.

As of early betting on Monday, Chateaux Park and Golden Passport were co-favorites at 5-2, slight choices over Speycaster at 3-1. The race will be run on the track’s Kensington infield course.

Three-year-old filly Tahirya's retirement was announced Monday following her distant third-place finish Saturday in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

Tahiyra, an Aga Khan homebred trained by Dermot Weld, couldn't show her best over the sodden Ascot course in the QE II. Tahiyra prefers much quicker ground and was narrowly beaten over a soft Newmarket course starting her 2023 campaign in the 1000 Guineas.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, October 25, 2023)

Even as a 2-year-old in Japan in 2022, Durezza thrived at longer distances, winning a maiden race at 1 1/4 miles last November.

This year, the theme is unchanged. Durezza is unbeaten in four starts at 1 1/4 miles or farther, the most recent of which was the Grade 1 Japanese St. Leger at about 1 15/16 miles at Kyoto Racecourse on Sunday.

Durezza ($20.30) had his graded stakes debut in the $2.79 million Japanese St. Leger, the third race in the country’s Triple Crown.

This is a good time of year for a mid-level sprinter such as Air Marshal to be in good form at Grafton Racecourse in Australia.

Air Marshal returned from a nine-month layoff to win a handicap at about 5 1/2 furlongs at Grafton on Sept. 26. On Monday evening Air Marshal will be back at Grafton for a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs, the Jacaranda Prelude, designed as a prep for the minor Jacaranda Cup at the same venue on Nov. 2.

Air Marshal is one of three main contenders in the Jacaranda Prelude, along with Sir Ravanelli and Fortyfive Parklane.

Without a Fight won the most prestigious race of his career in Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, in a victory that came at quite a cost for winning jockey Mark Zahra.

Zahra was suspended seven days and fined $31,500 for excessive use of the whip. Zahra was cited for using his whip nine times in the stretch, four over the permitted limit.

By Leo Schlink

Zac Purton believes Lucky Sweynesse is poised to improve significantly in the G2 Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (22 October), but is wary of race tactics which might again favour Victor The Winner in the HK$5.35 million feature.

Danny Shum’s Victor The Winner (115lb) condemned Lucky Sweynesse (135lb) to only the fifth defeat of the champion sprinter’s glittering career in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) on 10 September.

A wide trip kept Knife’s Edge from winning a seven-furlong handicap at Dubbo Racecourse in Australia on Sept. 29 and has made the veteran the favorite to end a seven-race losing streak in the Coonabarabran Cup at a mile at Coonabarabran Racecourse on Saturday evening.

Knife’s Edge, who was the 2-1 favorite in early betting on Friday for the Coonabarabran Cup, was closer to the outside rail than the inside in the stretch at Dubbo. He closed steadily to finish second by a half-length to Deel Street who saved ground.

Deel Street is part of the Coonabarabran Cup field of 11.