Wondering who’s the best 4-year-old in Hong Kong is akin to asking who’s the best 3-year-old in America, and the answer will start to be provided Sunday at Sha Tin in the $1.54 million Hong Kong Classic Mile.
This is the first leg of the 4-year-old classic series, which continues with the Hong Kong Cup over 1,800 meters and the Hong Kong Derby at 2,000 meters. There’s no straight 3-year-old racing in Hong Kong, nor are horses typically separated by age except in this three-race series.
Resurge, the 6-year-old Australian gelding, has achieved a career first in recent months, winning twice in a span of four starts.
Through his career, Resurge has won 5 of 31 starts but has never come close to stringing victories together. The recent success is his best result in a short span and reflects well on his chances in Sunday’s Strathalbyn Cup at about 1 ¼ miles at Strathalbyn Racecourse, near Adelaide.
Anamoe is a stakes winner at distances ranging from five furlongs to a mile and nearly won the Group 1 Cox Plate at 1 1/4 miles in Australia in October.
Distances are not a major issue for the 3-year-old Australian-bred colt who has his 2022 debut in Saturday’s Group 2 Expressway Stakes at six furlongs at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney. The distance is shorter than his recent starts, but the versatility Anamoe has shown in his 11-race career is expected to lead to his sixth win.
Real World spent the 2021 Dubai World Cup Carnival racing on dirt, and it didn’t go especially well. He ran decently in a series of handicap races but hit his stride last summer as a European turf horse, winning the Group 3 Strensall over Lord Glitters and edging The Revenant in the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein to finish out his campaign in October. Accordingly, Real World’s 2022 World Cup Carnival will be focused on grass races, and he’s top-rated Friday in the featured Group 2, $180,000 Zabeel Mile.
This has been a busy January in Australia for apprentice jockey Bailey Wheeler.
From Jan. 1 through last Friday, Wheeler won with four of 50 mounts. Wheeler, 16, is allied with prominent trainer Kris Lees and rides for that stable on Friday when Vanbari starts in a handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Scone Racecourse.
Wheeler knows his main competition very well – another Lees-trained runner in I Want One.
Experience at an extended distance may help the Australian mare Kikkapow record an upset in a handicap at 1 5/8 miles at Gosford Racecourse near Sydney on Thursday.
Kikkapow is the only runner in a field of eight that has raced at 1 5/8 miles, finishing second twice in handicaps at that distance at Gosford. Last June, Kikkapow was beaten a half-length in a race at that distance.
Paul Lally:
R1 3-2-6-7
R2 4-6-1-12
R3 6-3-9-12
R4 1-9-2-4
R5 8-7-2-3
R6 10-2-1-4
R7 4-3-1-7
R8 1-5-4-11
R9 12-1-7-6
Best Bet R1 N3 Stoltz
Longshot R5 N8 Go For Tea
Play R1 QQP 2-3-6
Mark McNamara:
R1: 2.3.7.5
R2: 1.6.3.4
R3: 3.6.9.12
R4: 8.9.1.2
R5: 7.9.2.1
R6: 8.10.11.3
R7: 4.3.1.2
R8: 5.1.10.4
R9: 7.1.5.12
Best Bet R5 N7 Bulletproof
Longshot R8 N5 Gift of Lifeline
Play R5 FCT 7.9
It’s not easy stringing together wins in Hong Kong, where the handicapping system functions fluidly creating well-matched races. One avenue to repeat success is a lightly raced horse who wins well at one handicap level while carrying a high weight, and then can move up one class and have his burden reduced. Rewarding Together is just such a horse.
The early double at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday will offer clues regarding some of that country’s 2-year-old to follow in the next several weeks.
The first two races are $142,200 Blue Diamond Preview races at five furlongs, one for colts and geldings and one for fillies, which are designed as preps for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at six furlongs at Caulfield on Feb. 26. Another set of prep races will be run at 5 1/2 furlongs on Feb. 12.
