Happy Valley Selections
(Wednesday, March 11, 2026)

By Leo Schlink

Andrea Atzeni’s surge up the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship gained further impetus at Sha Tin on Sunday (8 March) when the Italian produced a career-best quartet in Hong Kong, while Fast Network claimed the day’s feature to underline Ka Ying Rising’s supreme quality.

The famous four-day Cheltenham festival for hurdlers and steeplechasers begins in western England on Tuesday with familiar names prominent in the day’s leading race, the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle.

The 7-year-old mare Lossiemouth, a winner at the festival the last three years, will be favored to win the $621,400 Champion Hurdle over about 2 1/16 miles. Her annual victories at Cheltenham since 2023 have contributed to the dominance of Ireland’s Willie Mullins, the leading trainer at 12 of the last 15 festivals.

By Paul Ryding

David Hayes will be hoping a change in fortune can revive his trainers’ championship bid when he takes nine runners to Sunday’s (8 March) 11-race Sha Tin meeting.

The Australian Racing Hall of Famer had been the early pace-setter this season, but his strike rate has taken a hit amid a slew of near-misses since the start of February, and he now finds himself third in the trainers’ title race on 36 wins and 28 seconds behind Mark Newnham (36 wins, 32 seconds) and leader Caspar Fownes on 39 wins.

By Paul Ryding

Caspar Fownes tightened his grip on the trainers’ championship and Douglas Whyte ended his barren spell on a rain-affected night of action at Happy Valley on Wednesday (4 March).

Luke Ferraris and Zac Purton shared riding honours with three wins each.

Fownes and Ferraris combined as Toronado gelding Verbier (121lb) made the most of a well-timed ride by the South African, and drove through a gap between the leading pair to claim the Class 5 Intercontinental Limousine Handicap (1200m) by half a length.

Sha Tin Selections
(Sunday, March 08, 2026)

Paul Lally
R1 1-7-3-4
R2 10-6-2-1
R3 8-11-1-6
R4 2-8-12-4
R5 11-4-5-6
R6 2-3-6-7
R7 3-8-1-9
R8 8-7-3-1
R9 11-1-5-4

Best Bet R6 N2 Sports Legend
Longshot R3 N8 Ping Hai Comet
Play R8 QQP 3-7-8

Tom Wood
R1: 1-7-4-9
R2: 6-10-4-1
R3: 11-6-3-1
R4: 7-12-2-8
R5: 11-5-4-6
R6: 7-2-3-6
R7: 1-3-5-11
R8: 8-9-3-4
R9: 1-7-11-4

BEST: R3 N11 STAR BROSE (WIN)
VALUE: R5 N11 CIRUS SPEED (EW)
PLAY: R9 QQP 1,7,11

By Declan Schuster

Lyle Hewitson hopes a favourable tempo can bring the best out of Storming Dragon (121lb) when Jamie Richards’ runner tackles the Class 3 New Lantao Bus Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (4 March).

Lucky Planet (135lb), Matters Most (132lb), Metro Power (124lb) and Beauty Glory (122lb) have led and won races this season, setting up the possibility of a potent speed battle, one which could play into the hands of fast-closer Storming Dragon.

In the 11th instalment of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Road to the Derby series, we take a look at the “upward trajectory” of Dazzling Fit after his fifth in Sunday’s (1 March) HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m).

While Frankie Lor’s Stormy Grove stole the show with a scorching success in the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series at Sha Tin, Dazzling Fit produced the sort of run that has trainer David Eustace hoping his charge will be peaking just in time for the 149th HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) on 22 March.