SHA TIN SELECTIONS

(Wednesday, October 31)

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

Brett Davis

R1: 2-13-9-5

R2: 4-11-1-7

R3: 8-1-5-4

R4: 3-12-10-4

R5: 12-3-2-10

R6: 9-13-4-3

R7: 12-5-6-7

R8: 11-4-10-8

Best Bet – R4: #3 Viva Council  

Longshot – R7: #6 Biz Power

Best Play – R7: Q/Qp 5,6,12

Paul Lally

R1: 3-2-13-5

R2: 10-11-4-1

Calculation and Beauty Prince finished second and fifth in a six-furlong handicap on the infield dirt track at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Oct. 13. For both geldings, the race was their first start since the 2017-18 Hong Kong season, which ended in July.

There is every reason they will benefit from the recent race when they start in Wednesday’s $248,613 Hebe Hill Handicap at about a mile and 50 yards on the dirt at Sha Tin.

The Hebe Hill Handicap is the richest of eight races on Sha Tin’s all-dirt program.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Wednesday October 31, 2018)

Rey De Oro, fourth in the Group 1 Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, won Sunday’s Grade 1 Tenno Sho Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse for his second consecutive win in the buildup to the Grade 1 Japan Cup on Nov. 25.

Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, Rey De Oro (2-1) closed from fifth in a field of 12 to reach contention in the final quarter-mile. Rey De Oro caught pacesetter Kinseki in the final sixteenth and won by 1 1/4 lengths over 8-1 Sungrazer, who finished a nose in front of 11-1 Kinseki.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner of Leicester City soccer club in England and an international stable of racehorses, died in a helicopter crash outside the soccer stadium on Saturday evening, the club confirmed on Sunday.

“It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening,” the club wrote in a brief statement on its website.

There was not much new under the European sun this weekend as decades-old powerhouses Godolphin and Coolmore won Group 1 2-year-old races.

Already a legend, Winx achieved a unique milestone in racing history on Saturday with a record fourth consecutive win in the Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, her 29th straight win.

The win was expected – Winx was 1-5 – and she performed to the height of her ability, prevailing by two lengths over Benbatl, a Group 1 winner in Dubai, Germany, and Australia this year. The $3.53 million Cox Plate is run at 1 1/2 miles on turf and is Australia’s top weight-for-age race.

Brett Davis

R1 – 4-6-2-10

R2 – 4-3-5-1

R3 – 11-12-7-2

R4 – 3-11-8-9

R5 – 6-1-10-7

R6 – 3-4-2-7

R7 – 5-6-7-9

R8 -1-2-6-9

R9 – 11-10-7-8

R10 - 3-11-8-2

Best Bet – R5 n6   The Createth  

Longshot – R3 n11 Shining On

Best Play – R1   Q/Qp   2,4,6

Paul Lally

R1 - 4-10-2-6

R2 - 4-9-10-1

R3 - 7-1-10-6

R4 - 3-8-11-5

R5 - 7-1-8-6

R6 - 4-9-2-8

R7 - 1-5-6-4

R8 - 1-9-3-6

R9 - 10-6-11-4

R10 - 8-6-7-3

A workers’ protest forced the cancellation of the Criterium International a year ago, but as far as anyone knows, the Group 1 race for 2-year-olds over one mile at Saint-Cloud is on again Sunday.

Winning is for the most part the whole idea of horse racing. But under the handicap system that governs Hong Kong racing, winning comes with a down-side. Win a handicap race and the Hong Kong handicapper will raise your rating. That means either moving up in class to face stronger competition or adding weight if the ratings rise keeps the horse in the same condition.