She’s unbeaten, she has a handy running style, and she has already beaten males. There is several things going in favor of the filly Four Moves Ahead for Saturday’s Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes for 2-year-olds at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia.

In 2020, Hong Kong harbored a standout 4-year-old, Golden Sixty, who swept through the 4-year-old Classic Series, winning the series’ final leg, the Hong Kong Derby, by a nose despite having to pass 10 rivals in the homestretch.

There’s no such star among this 4-year-old class, but there are a number of talented horses set to do battle Sunday at Sha Tin in the $3.09 million Hong Kong Derby.

The domination of Irish horses at the Cheltenham Festival in western England continued on Thursday, though not in the predicted manner.

On the seven-race program, six winners were from stables based in Ireland, notably the Grade 1 winners Allaho in the $368,164 Ryanair Chase at 2 5/8 miles and Flooring Porter in the $333,432 Stayers’ Hurdle at three miles.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, March 21, 2021)

The 7-year-old mare Put The Kettle On is based in County Waterford in Ireland with trainer Henry De Bromhead. Cheltenham Racecourse in the west of England is really her home.

Wednesday, Put The Kettle On won the richest race of her career in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase, prevailing in the two-mile race by a half-length over 10-1 Nube Negra. Chacon Pour Soi, the 2-5 favorite, stalked pacesetter Put The Kettle On, but could not sustain the threat and finished third by 1 1/2 lengths.

The rapidly improving gelding Declares War faces several rivals with recent losses in group-level stakes in Friday’s $155,100 Albury Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Albury Racecourse in Australia.

Declares War was an intriguing 9-1 in future-book betting on Wednesday, with Entente and Mahamedeis at 3-1, and Silver Sovereign at 6-1.

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There has been a certain level of familiarity to the start of a new year in Irish jump racing in recent seasons.

Al Boum Photo, the French-bred gelding trained by Willie Mullins, is sent to Tramore Racecourse where he easily wins the Grade 3 New Year’s Day Chase at 2 11/16 miles. In 2019 and 2020, Al Boum Photo used that race as a prep for a victory in the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup in England.

Field size will not be an issue on the Dubai World Cup card of March 27.

The Dubai Racing Club on Wednesday announced likely entrants for the World Cup program, and six of the eight Thoroughbred races are expected to lure 14 or 15 runners.

Paisley Park was a popular winner of the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle as the 6-5 favorite at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2019, rolling from the back of the field to take the lead after the final obstacle in the three-mile race.

Last year, Paisley Park was seventh at odds of 4-6 in the Stayers’ Hurdle, never playing a factor. He was later diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. Lisnagar Oscar won the Stayers’ Hurdle at 50-1.

Paul Lally:

R1 1-8-11-3
R2 11-8-1-5
R3 6-4-7-2
R4 4-3-11-5
R5 7-4-1-3
R6 3-1-2-6
R7 7-11-1-3
R8 11-1-4-3
R9 9-12-11-7

Best Bet R5 N7 Winning Volatility
Longshot R3 N6 Inno Legend
Play R3 QQP 4-6-7

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Mark McNamara: