The word “international” gets thrown around as a marketing tool, a brittle term intended to connote sophistication that often rings hollow. But make no mistake: The Dubai World Cup Carnival, which starts again Thursday at Meydan Racecourse, is truly international. Even before horses ship for the Dubai World Cup card on March 28, stables from jurisdictions as far flung as Sweden, Korea, and Australia will set up shop for some rich winter racing in the desert.

Nearly two years have passed since Seasons Bloom won a Group 1 race in Hong Kong, in the Stewards Cup at a mile at Sha Tin in late January 2018.

Seasons Bloom is winless in six subsequent starts in Group 1 races, including a ninth in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on Dec. 8. A lesser race, such as Wednesday’s Group 3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup at seven furlongs at Sha Tin, seems a better fit for the 7-year-old gelding.

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SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, January 1, 2020)

Hong Kong bettors adore Big Party, who will have his group stakes debut in Sunday’s Group 3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy at five furlongs on turf at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Big Party, trained by Frankie Lor, has been favored in all eight of his starts since his career debut in October 2018, a span that includes four wins. Big Party rebounded from a fifth-place finish in a minor handicap at six furlongs at Sha Tin on Nov. 17 to win a six-furlong minor handicap at Happy Valley Racecourse on Dec. 18, enhancing his credentials for Sunday’s race.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Saturday, December 28, 2019)

Race 1: #2 Rich And Lucky, #3 Lucky Quality, #7 King Dragon, #8 Kelmimi Wins
 

Tom Wood

SELECTIONS:

R1: 1 – 6 – 2 – 5 – 4
R2: 4 – 3 – 5 – 6 – 9
R3: 3 – 1 – 2 – 6 – 5
R4: 2 – 6 – 10 – 11 – 7
R5: 1 – 3 – 2 – 10 – 5
R6: 4 – 10 – 1 – 2 – 12
R7: 6 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 5
R8: 2 – 5 – 8 – 11 – 10
R9: 4 – 2 – 5 – 6 – 12

BEST: R3 – 3 WINNING ENDEAVOUR (WIN)
VALUE: R8 – 2 GRACEANDMERCY (EW)
PLAY: R8 - QQP 2,5,8

Paul Lally

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS

(Thursday 26 December, 2019)

Super Oasis may be on the verge of a notable campaign in Hong Kong this winter. 

Last January and February, Super Oasis was a two-time Group 2 winner in New Zealand and later third in the Group 1 Australian Derby when racing under the name Surely Sacred. Now trained by Frankie Lor, Super Oasis was fifth in his Hong Kong debut at Sha Tin Racecourse on Dec. 8, finishing with interest.

The performance will make Super Oasis a likely favorite in Thursday’s $269,752 Chai Wan Kok Handicap at about a mile on turf at Happy Valley Racecourse. 

Lys Gracieux cruised to her third consecutive Grade 1 or Group 1 race in two countries in Sunday’s $2.74 million Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan, easily beating a field that included Almond Eye, the 2018 Japanese Horse of the Year.

Andrew Le Jeune:

R1: 1-8-5-3
R2: 2-6-12-10
R3: 1-5-11-8
R4: 2-8-5-6
R5: 8-1-3-2
R6: 1-11-4-9
R7: 12-1-9-3
R8: 10-4-6-9
R9: 13-11-9-10
R10: 6-8-11-2

Best: R9 N13 High Rev
Each/way: R10 N6 Fenrir
Play: Q/QP R10 6-8-11

Tom Wood: