The inch of rain that fell at Epsom Downs south of London earlier this week may work in favor of Wild Illusion, the favorite for Friday’s Group 1 English Oaks.
Wild Illusion, who was 5-2 as of Wednesday, won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Chantilly, France, on soft turf last October and was fourth in her only start this year, which came on good-to-firm turf in the Group 1 English 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 6.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, May 30)
:: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, and analysis
Brett Davis
R1: 7-9-8-10
R2: 11-1-8-2
R3: 4-2-5-7
R4: 3-4-1-11
R5: 9-11-10-5
R6: 6-9-2-5
R7: 1-2-12-4
R8: 4-11-1-10
Best Bet - R1: #7 Corre Rapido
Longshot - R4: #3 Majestic Endeavour
Best Play - R4: Q/QP 1,3,4,11
Remarkable is thriving this year on the all-weather surface at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong.
After losing his first five starts in Hong Kong, Remarkable is unbeaten in three starts on the all-weather track, which is essentially a dirt surface. Wednesday at Sha Tin, Remarkable will start in the $166,985 Clear Water Bay Handicap at a mile and 50 yards at Sha Tin.
Sunday was a good day for Pakistan Star and an even better one for his trainer, Tony Cruz.
Pakistan Star led a Cruz sweep of the top three placings in the Group 1, $1,274,600 Standard Charter Champions and Chater Cup, and earlier on the Sha Tin card in Hong Kong the Cruz-trained Winner’s Way won the Group 3 Sha Tin Vase.
Alpha Centauri, winless in her first three career starts in group stakes, scored a 12-1 upset in Sunday’s Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas for 3-year-old fillies at the Curragh.
Alpha Centauri finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of Could It Be Love, a 33-1 outsider who was a pacesetter for trainer Aidan O’Brien’s four-horse string in the $465,200 race. The O’Brien-trained Happily, the 5-4 favorite, finished third, 2 1/2 lengths behind the surprise winner.
Recoletos and Laurens won Group 1 races as odds-on favorites at Paris Longchamp Racecourse in France on Sunday in advance of scheduled start in even more prestigious races in June.
Recoletos, third in the Group 1 French Derby in 2017, won at the highest level for the first time in the $291,500 Prix d’Ispahan for older horses at 1 3/16 miles on turf. Recoletos is expected to start in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, a one-mile turf race worth approximately $800,000 at Royal Ascot in England on June 19.
Favored Elarqam had no punch but longshot Romanised delivered a late knockout posting a major upset Saturday at The Curragh in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas.
Romanised snapped a four-race losing streak that had followed his debut success more than one year ago at Navan Racecourse, while his trainer, Ken Condon, won his first race of 2018. This was easily the most important win in the five-year head-training career of Ireland-based Condon, who was an assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher in the U.S. before working in the same capacity for Irish trainer John Oxx.
There just aren’t a lot of mile-and-a-half horses in Hong Kong, and if you want proof, look no further than the Group 1, $1,274,600 Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup on Sunday at Sha Tin.
The 2400-meter race lured just five entrants, including the shipper Chemical Charge, meaning only four locally based horses run. Tony Cruz trains three of them, including Pakistan Star, who races for the first time since finally putting all his psychological baggage aside and scoring a monumental three-length victory in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup on April 29.
Happily will put trainer Aidan O’Brien in the familiar role of starting the favorite in Sunday’s Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh.
The legendary trainer has won the one-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies a record-equaling seven times, but has a mixed record with favorites of late. Winter won last year for O’Brien at odds of 8-13, but Found (5-4) and Minding (4-11) could only finish second as favorites in 2015 and 2016.
