During 2018 the nearly omnipresent stable of trainer Steve Asmussen started horses at 34 racetracks in the United States and Canada. But here is something different even by Asmussen’s far-flung standards: Thursday at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, Asmussen sends out a horse named Switzerland in the Group 3, $200,000 Al Shindagha Sprint Stakes.

Asmussen ran one other horse in Dubai who raced outside Dubai World Cup night. That was Curlin, who captured a handicap race in late February before crushing the World Cup a month later at the old Nad al Sheba track.

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday January 30, 2019)

On two occasions last fall Super Chic and Red Warrior met in minor handicaps at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong, with Super Chic winning both races.

Their third meeting, in Wednesday’s $248,531 Hong Kong Club Challenge Cup at Happy Valley, may have a different outcome. This time, there is an eight-pound spread in the weights between the two runners, a break that could give an advantage to Red Warrior.

Furore, who was third and sixth in Group 1 races in Australia last spring, won for the first time in Hong Kong in his third start on the circuit in Sunday’s $1.27 million Hong Kong Classic Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse.

A 4-1 chance, Furore finished 2 1/2 lengths in front of 20-1 Mission Tycoon, giving trainer Frankie Lor a sweep of the top two positions in the field of 14. Ka Ying Star (6-1) finished third, while the Lor-trained Dark Dream, the 9-5 favorite, finished fourth.

Lor, who had five runners in the field, won four of the 10 races on Sunday’s card.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS

(Sunday, January 27)

:: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, and analysis

Brett Davis

R1: 6-5-3-8

R2: 7-6-4-13

R3: 1-2-6-3

R4: 4-2-1-0

R5: 11-10-4-1

R6: 7-4-3-1

R7: 2-3-1-7

R8: 11-1-5-3

R9: 12-14-13-7

R10: 8-10-2-12

Best Bet – R5: #11 Deal Maker  

Longshot – R2: #7 Winner Supreme

Best Play – R2: Q/Qp 4,6,7

Andrew Le Jeune

SHA TIN SELECTIONS

(Sunday, January 27, 2019)

RACE 1: #1 Salto Olimpico, #2 You Have My Word, #3 Bring It On, #7 Le Panache

RACE 2: #8 Nice Fandango, #6 Meridian Genius, #1 Lucky Guy, #4 King's Trooper

RACE 3: #1 Regency Legend, #5 New Asia Sunrise, #5 Star Shine, #8 Magic Legend

RACE 4: #4 Adonis, #2 Diamond Legend, #9 Flying Noble, #11 Fortune Way

RACE 5: #1 Dashing Gainer, #9 Startling Power, #3 Noble De Love, #11 Deal Maker

The stakes-winning form that Dark Dream had at the end of his Australian career last spring seems to be continuing in Hong Kong this winter.

Dark Dream won the Group 1 Queensland Derby at 1 3/8 miles on turf at Doomben Racecourse last June in his final start in Australia. Now trained by Frankie Lor, Dark Dream was third in his debut in Hong Kong in a handicap at a mile on turf at Sha Tin Racecourse on Dec. 9 and rebounded two weeks later to win a minor handicap at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Sha Tin.

LONDON – The world’s best racehorse of 2018 actually was two racehorses.

Winx and Cracksman were named co-winners of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse award at a ceremony at the Landmark Hotel in London on Tuesday. Both hit a mark of 130 as judged by an international panel of handicappers working under the auspices of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. Accelerate was the world’s third-ranked horse and leading dirt performer with a 128 rating.

A pair of Group 2, $250,000 stakes, the Al Rashidiya and the Al Fahidi Fort, highlight a six-race Dubai World Cup Carnival card Thursday night at Meydan Racecourse.

The Al Rashidiya drew nine entrants to run 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) around one turn on turf in a race that traces forward to the $6 million Dubai Turf on the Dubai World Cup card in about two months.

Brett Davis – Selection

R1 – 4-6-7-11
R2 – 11-1-9-7
R3 – 11-8-9-6
R4 – 8-5-1-2
R5 – 7-6-1-8
R6 – 5-4-7-2
R7 – 9-4-1-5
R8 – 10-4-5-1

Best – R4 n8 Travel Datuk
Longshot – R7 n9 Goldfield
Best Play – R6 Trio 5 / 2,4,7,11

Andrew Le Jeune:

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

Best: R7 N1 Bigwood
Long: R2 N3 Simply Big
Play: Q/QP R7 1-5-9