A daring mid-race move by Chad Schofield catapulted Maximus into the thick of Four-Year-Old Classic Series contention and this Sunday (24 January) at Sha Tin the striking chestnut is readying for a big-race upset in the first leg of the three-race series, the HK$12 million Hong Kong Classic Mile.
Four days out from the much-anticipated return of Golden Sixty’s attempt to post a 12th consecutive triumph, the champion galloper’s trainer Francis Lui continued an excellent season with a Happy Valley treble.
Proving adept at opposite ends of the age and potential scale, Lui logged a trio with veteran Winston’s Lad, emerging sprinter Stock Legend and the talented Igniting to move into outright fourth on the trainers’ premiership with 29 wins for the season.
An Irish trainer has been banned for six months after a horse he trained tested positive for a drug providing a “dangerous degree of sedation” during a race meet in October 2018, according to The Racing Post.
Charles Byrne, who has won multiple group races in the United Kingdom, was handed the six-month suspension by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board after Viking Hoard tested positive for acepromazine, a sedative, at 100 times the permitted level.
Wren’s Day, a 7-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding, is far removed from his surprise second-place finish at 24-1 in the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp in April 2018 when trained by Andre Fabre.
These days, Wren’s Day is running in routine handicap races in Australia. By Medgalia d’Oro, Wren’s Day was recently sold by Godolphin Racing to a large partnership and is now trained by Cody Morgan.
James Cummings trained Wren’s Day at the start of the Australian segment of the gelding’s career, which includes two wins in nine starts.
Loving a Boom might have been launching an explosive winning move on the night of Dec. 23 at Happy Valley, but a wall of horses smothered his homestretch charge. If Loving a Boom’s fuse remains lit, he and Christophe Soumillon might have enough to overcome a load of weight in the last of nine Happy Valley races on Wednesday.
:: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, analysis, replays, and live streaming
by Declan Schuster
Injury halted the Caspar Fownes-trained Snap Fit’s burgeoning career last season, but this Wednesday (20 January) the handler’s talented six-year-old returns from a 10-month break to contest the first section of the Class 3 Sheung Hei Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley.
“He had a suspensory problem which flared up again and we just had to give him some time off to get over that,” Fownes said. “I’m happy to say he’s come good now, he’s very comfortable, he’s pain-free and I think he’s ready to go to the races.”
Paul Lally:
R1 4-6-8-3
R2 4-11-1-8
R3 2-10-6-4
R4 9-3-5-1
R5 5-2-3-1
R6 7-1-3-6
R7 1-3-6-12
R8 2-7-3-1
R9 6-4-10-3
Best Bet R7 N1 Lewis
Longshot R1 N4 Nuremburg
Play Race7 QQP 1-3-6
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Andrew Le Jeune:
Darvin and Dashing Tycoon flew through the stretch of a handicap at 1 5/16 miles at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 6 to finish second and third behind race winner Tolemac. Darvin was beaten a nose, while Dashing Tycoon was a neck behind.
There was little separating the pair that day and appears to be little between them in advance of a handicap at 1 1/2 miles at Sandown on Wednesday. Darvin and Dashing Tycoon will both carry 133 pounds, and were 11-2 and 4-1 in early betting on Monday.
The Dubai World Cup still is worth $12 million and still anchors a blockbuster card on the last Saturday in March, but that’s about the only thing that’s the same about the 2021 Dubai World Cup Carnival.
The Carnival starts Thursday, Jan. 21, three weeks later than standard and includes only seven programs this year, six Thursday cards followed by Super Saturday on March 6 three weeks in advance of the Dubai World Cup card. Those seven cards offer about $6 million in purses, while the 2020 Carnival had 10 programs worth $12.74 million in purses.
By Leo Schlink
Frenchman Antoine Hamelin banished the frustrations of a recent barren streak to produce the first quintet of his career to steal the show at Sha Tin on Sunday (17 January) as Elusive State left Tony Millard contemplating a high-stakes Middle East tilt.
Hamelin erased the frustrations of a 51-ride losing streak with a stunning five-timer – Golden Link, Family Folks, Ping Hai Bravo, Hongkong Great and Tempest Express – to lift his seasonal tally to 13, ending a drought stretching back to mid-December at Happy Valley.
