Paul Lally:
R1 8-11-12-2
R2 10-2-11-1
R3 1-5-2-11
R4 7-2-6-4
R5 7-2-1-4
R6 1-9-4-6
R7 7-4-13-3
R8 5-2-1-3
R9 5-1-10-4
R10 10-3-1-7
R11 1-13-12-9
Best Bet R4 N7 Master Montaro
Longshot R6 N1 Pakistan Friend
Play R4 QQP 2-6-7
Mark McNamara:
R1 8.1.12.5
R2 2.5.11.10
R3 1.5.11.2
R4 2.6.5.3
R5 3.2.6.1
R6 4.6.7.8
R7 7.4.13.12
R8 5.2.3.6
R9 5.10.4.2
The Hong Kong sprint division has been void of stars for a surprisingly long time, but maybe Master Eight can step into the breach.
Four-year-old Master Eight debuted last season in Hong Kong and won twice. Off between June and October, he returned to action this fall and has won two more races, and so Master Eight brings a perfect 4-for-4 record to his toughest test yet, the Group 3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy Handicap on Saturday at Sha Tin.
A forecast for scorching temperatures in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday has led racing officials to push the program at Flemington Racecourse to a late-morning start.
The earlier card makes watching an intriguing nine-race program easier for North American viewers. First post time is 6:35 p.m. Eastern or 3:35 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Temperatures could reach 100 degrees in Melbourne.
The Woodford Cup at Warrnambool Racecourse on Friday in southwest Australia will be a racing homecoming for Mr Cancun.
Mr Cancun is based at Warrnambool with trainer Lindsey Smith, but has not raced at the track in 13 starts, since a win in a handicap at 1 1/16 miles in January 2020. The Woodford Cup is also run at 1 1/16 miles, a shorter distance than Mr Cancun’s recent starts.
Killer Ability emphasized his status as a leading prospect for the Japanese 3-year-old classics in 2022 with a victory in Tuesday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Nakayama Racecourse.
Killer Ability ($23.60) closed from third in a field of 15 and was timed in stakes-record 2:00.60. The previous mark of 2:01.40 was set by Time Flyer in 2017.
Killer Ability, ridden by Takashi Yokoyama, took the lead with less than a furlong remaining and won by 1 1/2 lengths over 5-2 Justin Palace. Lagulf (25-1) finished third.
For most of 2021, Mr Joobs has been tried in races ranging in distances from 1 1/4 miles to 1 1/2 miles at smaller tracks in Australia.
For his final start of the year, and first race since August, Mr Joobs starts on Thursday in a handicap at about a mile at Werribee Racecourse, also known as Spendthrift Australia Park. Tactics could work in favor of Mr Joobs.
The Rock returns to the dirt on a rare Wednesday racing program at Sha Tin.
Wednesday racing in Hong Kong nearly always takes place at Happy Valley, but the holiday season has reshaped the regular schedule. There was racing Monday, Dec. 27, rather than the usual Sunday card at Sha Tin, and Wednesday’s all-dirt program is followed by a New Year’s Day card on Saturday. The normal pattern – Happy Valley on Wednesday, Sha Tin on Sunday – holds for the rest of January.
Much has changed for the positive since Brookspire finished eighth of 16 in the Group 1 Australian Oaks at Morphettville Racecourse in May.
Brookspire has won two of her last four starts, which leaves the 4-year-old filly in an outstanding position to win her first group stakes in Wednesday’s Group 3 Belle of the Turf Stakes at a mile at Gosford Racecourse, north of Sydney.
