The Australian gelding Golden Button finished a game second in his 2023 debut in a seven-furlong handicap on Aug. 25, leaving him well in contention for a second career win in a handicap at that distance at tiny Tuncurry Racecourse in Australia on Thursday evening.

Golden Button was beaten slightly less than a half-length at Tamworth on Aug. 25 in his first start since November. Lightly-raced for a 5-year-old, Golden Button will have his 11th start at Tuncurry and is expected to be a factor from off the pace under jockey Aaron Bullock.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, September 10, 2023)

By Leo Schlink

Zac Purton has sounded a note of caution ahead of Lucky Sweynesse’s return in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) on Sunday (10 September) after the champion sprinter breezed through a delayed trial at Sha Tin this morning (Monday, 4 September). Postponed from its original schedule of Friday morning (1 September) because of Super Typhoon Saola, today’s 1000m trial saw Lucky Sweynesse finish second to one of Sunday’s likely rivals, Victor The Winner, who clocked 58.08s under Karis Keetan.

Recently arrived jockeys Andrea Atzeni and Keagan De Melo were officially unveiled by The Hong Kong Jockey Club at Sha Tin this morning (Tuesday, 5 September) ahead of the impending 2023/24 racing season which commences this Sunday (10 September).

Bred in Kentucky, Jack Duggan was a winner in Ireland in 2019 before he was sent to Australia in the winter of 2020-2021.

In the last two years, Jack Duggan has had mixed results, going winless in 2021 before winning three times last year. Jack Duggan has yet to win in four starts in 2023, but his last two races suggest a victory is possible in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Hawkesbury Racecourse near Sydney on Wednesday evening.

Mountain Ghost was ambitiously raced in group-level stakes in Australia in April as a maiden. She finished second of 12 at 30-1 in the Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on April 1, but was 14th in a field of 15 in the Group 1 ATC Stakes at 1 1/2 miles a week later.

More modest goals in recent weeks have led to a two-race winning streak, and a start in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles on the infield Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Tuesday evening.

Sauterne won her first Group 1 as odds-on favorite Big Rock came up second-best for the third race in a row in Prix du Moulin de Longchamp on Sunday. 

Second in the French Derby and second again in the Group 1 Jacques le Marois, Big Rock broke somewhat poorly before taking the lead in the one-mile Moulin, but Sauterne stalked intently from second around the long Longchamp turn and easily collared Big Rock in the final furlong when asked for her best by jockey Tony Piccone. 

The filly Harlow Mist scored an 8-1 upset when she stormed through the stretch at Goulburn Racecourse in Australia on Aug. 14 to win her debut in a seven-furlong maiden race.

On Monday evening at Scone Racecourse, Harlow Mist can prove that race was not a fluke when she starts against multiple winners in a one-mile allowance race.

Trained by John Sargent, Harlow Mist will be ridden by Reece Jones, who was aboard for the recent maiden race win. Harlow Mist is part of a field of 11 and may be a slight favorite over Velvet Lady, a winner of 2 of 15 starts.

Nature Strip, the two-time Australian Horse of the Year who won nine Group 1 races on two continents as well as the Everest Stakes in Australia in 2021, has been retired.

The decision was announced shortly after Nature Strip finished sixth of eight in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

Nature Strip, 9, was beaten in his last five starts. In the Concorde, he was as close as third in the stretch before fading to finish 5 3/4 lengths behind race winner Remarque.

A low weight assignment and a return to a favored racetrack give Roussos a few advantages in the Moree Cup at Moree Racecourse in Australia on Saturday evening.

Roussos won a six-furlong handicap at Moree in mid-May, his second career race at the countryside venue. Roussos has been beaten in his last three races, the most recent of which was a third by a half-length in a six-furlong handicap at Tamworth on Aug. 25.

In the Moree Cup at seven furlongs, Roussos will carry 121 pounds, much less than topweight Notabadidea at 134.4 pounds.