SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Saturday, January 12)
:: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, and analysis
Brett Davis
R1: 9-2-7-8
R2: 2-5-4-8
R3: 1-6-7-4
R4: 6-1-7-10
R5: 2-4-8-5
R6: 3-5-2-12
R7: 11-12-6-1
R8: 10-13-14-1
R9: 8-14-2-9
R10: 14-7-6-11
Best Bet – R8: #10 Home Run
Longshot – R4: #6 Let’s Come Back
Best Play – R4: Q/Qp 1,6,7
Paul Lally
A relatively rare Saturday card at Sha Tin in Hong Kong has another relative rarity as its feature – a dirt race.
Race 9 is the highest-class fare on Saturday’s 10-race menu, a Class 2 handicap for horses rated 105-80 and carded at 1650 meters (a little more than one mile) on a Sha Tin dirt track still often referred to as all-weather in local parlance. The dirt track gets a steady diet of morning trainees and is used for barrier trials (training races) but is only lightly used for actual afternoon racing.
North America ended his 6-year-old campaign with a dismal failure in last year’s Dubai World Cup but started his 7-year-old season Thursday night looking like the 2019 World Cup is a reasonable goal.
North America relishes galloping along on the lead and lost all chance when he missed the break in last year’s World Cup. On Thursday, his start was fine, and within a few strides, jockey Richard Mullen had North America running like he prefers, out front and cruising along in the clear.
Brett Davis – Selections
R1 : 10-5-4-11
R2 : 10-4-1-8
R3 : 1-9-5-7
R4 : 10-3-2-7
R5 : 9-2-5-8
R6 : 3-5-4-2
R7 : 12-1-2-9
R8 : 5-4-6-7
Best : R2 N10 Tom’s Dragon
Longshot : R3 N7 Sharpmind
Best Play : R2 Q10 / 1,4
Paul Lally:
R1: 8-5-4-11
R2 :1-10-3-4
R3: 5-9-1-12
R4: 10-2-6-7
R5: 9-8-4-7
R6: 2-5-1-4
R7: 2-7-9-6
R8: 7-4-5-1
Experience in recent Group 1 races may prove vital for five runners in Wednesday’s Group 3 January Cup at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong.
Time Warp, the 133-pound topweight; Northern Superstar, who will carry 114 pounds; and Gold Mount (126), were third, fifth, and sixth in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Dec. 9. The same day, Southern Legend (129) was third in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile, and Eagle Way (130) was fourth in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at 1 1/2 miles.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, January 6)
Brett Davis
R1: 7-12-8-9
R2: 1-2-3-13
R3: 2-5-3-1
R4: 5-7-12-9
R5: 3-4-5-1
R6: 12-6-5-9
R7: 5-1-6-11
R8: 10-6-1-8
R9: 12-8-14-5
R10: 9-12-1-5
Best Bet – R6: #12 Hurricane Hunter
Longshot – R7: #6 Gift Of Lifeline
Best Play – R7: Q/Qp 1,5,6,11
Tom Wood
R1: 12 – 7 – 3 – 8
R2: 2 – 3 – 5 – 7
R3: 2 – 1 – 5 – 3
R4: 7 – 10 – 3 – 11
His first two seasons racing in Hong Kong, Ivictory lived up to his name, winning seven races in eight starts, including a perfect four-start 2017-18 campaign capped by a half-length win over top Hong Kong sprinter Mr. Stunning in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Cup.
But this season Ivictory has turned into Idefeat. He’s finished sixth, seventh, and 10th in his last three races and seeks a turnaround Sunday at Sha Tin dropping in class to start in the Group 3, $414,829 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy Handicap while racing in blinkers for the first time.
