It’s Classified had a rude debut against winners in Australia in July, finishing seventh of nine Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old fillies in a seven-furlong handicap at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne.

Nearly five months later, farther to the west in the Australian state of Victoria, It’s Classified should have an easier time in a handicap for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs at Warrnambool on Thursday. Trained by Lindsey Smith, It’s Classified has had four starts, winning her third race against maidens at seven furlongs at Geelong in early July.

Happy Valley is not an easy track to ride. One turn is wider than the other, there are undulations to unbalance horse and rider, and obtaining a decent position before a homestretch much shorter than Hong Kong’s larger racecourse, Sha Tin, is of great importance.  

And the Wednesday card at Happy Valley is all about the riders. Four of the program’s 10 races – the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth – form the International Jockey’s Championship, an annual Happy Valley fixture the Wednesday before the Hong Kong International Races on Sunday at Sha Tin.  

The Australian gelding Solar Apex had an easy time in two handicaps at Gosford Park in September, winning consecutive races for the first time in his career.

A jump in class, and a move to higher-profile venues in Sydney in October and November, led to three straight losses.

Solar Apex, trained by Chris Waller, has been entered in a slightly easier handicap at a mile at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney on Wednesday. Solar Apex is back to racing at the same level as his September races, a leading reason he was the 9-5 favorite as of Monday to beat seven rivals.

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, December 08, 2021)

A well-mannered T O Keynes benefited from recent gate schooling to take Sunday’s Grade 1 Champions Cup on dirt at Chukyo Racecourse in Japan for his second graded stakes win of the year.

T O Keynes pulled clear from 15 rivals to win the $1.7 million Champion Cup at 1 1/8 miles by six lengths.

Winter Moon was 10 races into his career before he won a maiden race at tiny Warren Racecourse in Australia in September. 

The win appears to be part of a career revival for the 4-year-old gelding, who has won 2 of 14 starts. Following the maiden-race win, Winter Moon was eighth in his debut against winners on Oct. 16, but rebounded to finish second in a one-mile handicap at Mudgee on Oct. 23. Winter Moon won for the second time in a one-mile handicap at Warren on Nov. 7.

Battle Guardian, a 5-year-old gelding, was one stride away from a win in the Taree Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Taree Racecourse in Australia on Nov. 21, closing from eighth in a field of 10 to lose by a nose.

Monday, Battle Guardian starts in a longer race, in the Tuncurry-Forster Cup at 1 5/16 miles at Tuncurry Racecourse, located on the coast well north of Sydney.

Battle Guardian is part of a field of 12 in the marathon race, the sixth race on a seven-race program that begins at 9:40 p.m. Eastern or 6:40 p.m. Pacific on Sunday. Wagering is available through DRF Bets.com.

Paul Lally:

R1 9 2 5 3

R2 11-5-8-6

R3 2-1-3-11

R4 8-7-5-4

R5 6-1-9-8

R6 2-7-1-6

R7 3-9-7-1

R8 11-2-3-6

R9 1-7-12-14

R10 1-13-2-5

Best Bet R1 N9 Yes We Can

Longshot R10 N1 The Irishman

Play R10 QQP 1-2-13

Andrew Le Jeune:

R1: 5-1-9-7

R2: 1-5-6-11

R3: 2-3-1-8

R4: 8-1-4-11

R5: 1-3-6-2

R6: 2-7-12-9

R7: 3-5-1-4

R8: 2-11-6-10

R9: 7-1-10-4

R10: 4-3-1-7

Yes, there is a 10-race program Dec. 5 at Sha Tin Racecourse, but attention in the jurisdiction already has turned to the Hong Kong International Races on Dec. 12.  

The older horses Highly Desired, Invincible Dash, and Prince of Arragon cannot get rid of each other in Australia these days.

The trio was scratched from Friday’s Mudgee Cup at Mudgee Racecourse, only for all three to reappear in the entries for Sunday’s Nowra Cup at Nowra Racecourse. They all three rate as contenders in the one-mile turf race.

Highly Desired and Invincible Dash are recent winners who were later beaten in restricted stakes.