HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, January 26, 2022)

Golden Sixty finally took silver, his Hong Kong winning streak snapped at 16 with a second-place finish to Waikuku on Sunday in the Group 1, $1.54 million Stewards' Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse.  

Twenty-eight months and 2 1/2 Hong Kong racing seasons passed since Golden Sixty didn’t win a start, but, left in an impossible position too far behind a very good horse, Waikuku, who had tracked a moderate pace, Golden Sixty’s furious rally fell three-quarters of a length short.  

A five-month break from July to mid-December has contributed to a career revival for Squiggles, a 3-year-old Australian filly who starts in a six-furlong handicap at Bathurst Racecourse on Tuesday.

Trained by Mark Newnham, Squiggles has won twice since returning to action – a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Bathurst on Dec. 20, and a six-furlong handicap at Nowra on Jan. 9. She closed from fourth in a field of 10 to beat maidens and led throughout the race at Nowra. The flexible tactics could make Squiggles even more dangerous in this field.

For a gelding from a high-profile stable, Maple Gold was overlooked at 30-1 when he won his debut in a maiden race at Muswellbrook Racecourse in Australia on Jan. 4.

The victory has led trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to enter Maple Gold in a one-mile handicap at Goulburn Racecourse on Monday against runners with multiple wins.

Despite the lack of experience, Maple Gold is well regarded in a field of 10. As of early betting on Saturday, Maple Gold was the 2-1 favorite, a slight choice over three-time winner Post Free (3-1) and the four-time winner Hemmerle (9-2).

Nick Child:

R1  2-12-11-4  

R2  9-8-3-7

R3  2-1-3-8

R4  5-4-2-7

R5  1-6-7-3

R6  6-8-1-10

R7  1-2-6-3

R8  4-1-2-10

R9  13-3-1-4

R10 13-6-12-1

BEST BET: R2 N9 SETANTA  

LONGSHOT: R10 N13 STAR BRITE  

PLAY R4: Q/QP 2-4-5

Tom Wood:

R1: 12-14-7-2

R2: 5-8-9-4

R3: 1-2-8-4

R4: 3-4-5-2

R5: 6-1-7-9

R6: 1-8-10-6

R7: 1-3-2-6

R8: 4-2-1-8

R9: 4-1-13-11

R10: 14-1-6-13

There’s a sliver of a chance that were the Stewards Cup a handicap, if Golden Sixty had to give his rivals, say, 20 pounds, he might maybe, possibly be beatable.  

But the Group 1, $1.54 million Stewards Cup is weight-for-age, all horses carrying 126 pounds, and it’s extremely difficult to imagine Golden Sixty not winning his 17th race in a row Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong. 

Naval Crown and his owner and breeder, Godolphin, were the stars Friday of the second racing program of the 2022 Dubai World Cup Carnival. 

Godolphin won five of the card’s seven races, sweeping the top three placings in two races and the top two in another. Trainer Saeed bin Suroor had a three-win night and trainer Charlie Appleby won two, including the Group 2, $180,000 Al Fahidi Fort with the talented 4-year-old Naval Crown.  

White Hawk was 100-1 when he scored a shocking win in the Summer Cup at Hobart Racecourse in Australia last January.

A year later, White Hawk is 8 and still winning as a longshot, though not at such a spectacular price. On Dec. 3, White Hawk won a handicap at about a mile at odds of 60-1 on the synthetic track at Devonport Racecourse. On Jan. 5, White Hawk won the Devonport Handicap at 1 3/16 miles at 16-1 at Devonport.

Last Saturday, Holyfield finished second by a nose in the $728,000 Magic Millions Cup at Gold Coast Racecourse in Australia.

Holyfield is not staying in trainer Annabel Neashem’s stable for long.

Saturday, Holyfield makes a rapid turnaround in the $109,000 Carrington Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney where the 4-year-old gelding has an excellent chance to win his first stakes since August 2020.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, January 23, 2022)