HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, February 23, 2022)

Café Pharoah rallied between horses in early stretch to win Sunday’s Grade 1 February Stakes at a mile on dirt at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan for the second consecutive year, earning a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in November.

Ridden by Yuichi Fukunaga, Café Pharoah ($11.20) was sixth on the turn and took the lead with a furlong remaining, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over 11-1 T M South Dan. Sodashi, the 5-2 favorite, finished third of 16, fading from contention in the final furlong. Sodashi was the champion 2-year-old filly of 2019.

Russian Emperor required a dozen Hong Kong races to finally win one, but his first Hong Kong success was a major one. 

Relishing a yielding Sha Tin turf course that the heavily favored Golden Sixty disliked, Russian Emperor stormed to a 4 1/4-length win in the Group 1, $1.54 million Hong Kong Gold Cup on Saturday.  

Finishing second was Russian Emperor’s Douglas Whyte-trained stablemate, Savvy Nine, as Golden Sixty could do no better than third after a ground-losing trip over wet going his connections claimed he could not handle.  

The wins continue to accumulate while the competition gets slightly tougher for Vandangle, the 4-year-old Australian gelding.

Vandangle won his fourth start against maidens at seven furlongs at Tuncurry Racecourse on Jan. 15 and his debut against winners in a one-mile handicap at Tamworth on Jan. 29.

Those consecutive wins have led to a start in another one-mile handicap at Tamworth on Monday against a better field. Vandangle was favored in his recent wins and will be the choice again on Monday in a field of 12.

Paul Lally:

R1 7-5-4-1

R2 4-8-1-10

R3 1-3-4-6

R4 1-2-10-13

R5 6-2-10-1

R6 3-2-4-1

R7 12-9-5-2

R8 1-2-4-11

R9 1-5-10-4

R10 6-8-13-3

Best Bet R7 N12 Super Fortune

Longshot R2 N4 Amazing Victory

Play R7 QQP 5-9-12

Nick Child:

R1 | 7-1-4-5

R2 | 8-4-1-6

R3 | 3-1-4-7

R4 | 1-2-3-5

R5 | 12-2-10-3

R6 | 7-3-9-2

R7 | 5-12-2-4

R8 | 4-1-2-11

R9 | 1-7-3-2

R10 | 3-4-5-8

Lazuli won for the first time since May and recorded his fourth stakes win in Friday’s Group 2 Blue Point Stakes at five furlongs on turf at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

The win moved Lazuli closer to a potential start in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on turf on the Dubai World Cup undercard March 26.

Ridden by William Buick, Lazuli ($3.20) stalked the pace early in the five-furlong race, took the lead in the final quarter-mile, and won by 1 1/2 lengths over 9-1 Acklam Express in a field of nine.

Finally defeated, hardly disgraced, Golden Sixty can start a new winning streak Sunday at Sha Tin in the Group 1, $1.54 million Hong Kong Gold Cup. 

For the first time in 16 starts and 31 months, Golden Sixty starts after losing a race. Overwhelmingly favored to win his 17th straight start, Golden Sixty met defeat Jan. 23 in the Group 1 Stewards Cup, beaten three-quarters of a length by Waikuku while racing at level weights.  

Did Golden Sixty take a step back in his third start of the 2021-22 Hong Kong racing season, leading to his shock defeat? Probably he did not.  

With two top rivals scheduled to start in stakes in the Middle East, Cafe Pharoah has an improved chance of winning Sunday’s Grade 1 February Stakes at a mile on dirt at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan for the second consecutive year than it might have seemed a few months ago.

The Australian 3-year-old filly Miss Charlie Brown has raced exclusively at tracks on the island of Tasmania in her 11-race career.

A three-time winner, Miss Charlie Brown won her first two starts in sprints in December 2020 and January 2021 at Launceston Racecourse and her most recent start in the Strutt Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 5/16 miles at Hobart Racecourse on Feb. 11 in an 18-1 upset.

In the last two years, Nature Strip has been honored as Australia’s Horse of the Year for the 2019-20 season and won the world’s richest sprint in the $11.05 million Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney last October.

Regaining those titles is a goal for the 2022 season, which begins for Nature Strip in Saturday’s Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at five furlongs at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.