HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, May 16, 2018)
RACE 1: #1 I'm A Witness, #3 Wonderful Tiger, #10 Gold Talent, #7 Rugby Diamond
RACE 2: #9 Master Viking, #5 Split Of A Second, #1 Call Me Awesome, #8 Love Chunghwa
RACE 3: #1 Country Melody, #8 Smart Declaration, #2 Money Boy, #9 Dragon Pioneer
RACE 4: #10 Sparkling Sword, #12 Victory Follow Me, #1 Super Lucky, #5 Enormous Honour
The 18-1 outsider Jour Polaire rallied from eighth in a field of 18 to win her first Grade 1 race in a photo finish in Sunday’s $1.87 million Victoria Mile for fillies and mares on turf at Tokyo Racecourse.
The race was run on a rainy day on a good track. Jour Polaire, the eighth choice in the betting, prevailed by a nose over Lys Gracieux, the 3-1 favorite. Red Avancer (11-1) finished third by a neck after leading in the final furlong.
SEOUL, South Korea – Ecton Blade, a 3-year-old son of the Kentucky-bred Ecton Park, won the $937,000 Korean Derby on Sunday at Seoul Race Course by three lengths, rewarding the relatively few backers who had made the horse the win-pool favorite in the 10-horse field.
Soul Stirring, the winner of the 2017 Japanese Oaks, and two other 2017 Grade 1 winners, Aerolithe and Admire Lead, are part of a competitive field of 18 in Sunday’s Grade 1 Victoria Mile for fillies and mares on turf at Tokyo Racecourse.
The $1.87 million Victoria Mile lacks a standout. Miss Panthere won the Grade 2 Kyoto Himba Stakes at Kyoto on April 7 for her fourth straight win and is certain to attract support, along with Aerolithe, who has been competitive against males this year.
U S Navy Flag won the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes last fall but he’s a general 10-1 chance Sunday at Longchamp in the Group 1, $717,4000 Prix d’Essai des Poulains, the French 2000 Guineas. U S Navy Flag finished a flat fourth in his 3-year-old debut, and antepost bettors are more taken with a trio of French colts, Wootton, Olmedo, and Dice Roll.
Brett Davis - Selections
R1 - 10-9-8-12
R2 - 13-1-8-10
R3 - 1-10-7-9
R4 - 2-7-4-9
R5 - 7-1-8-14
R6 - 4-9-3-1
R7 - 4-9-5-2
R8 - 5-1-12-2
R9 - 10-6-7-2
R10 - 10-7-5-13
Best - R5 N7 Strathspey
Longshot - R10 N10 Invincible Fresh
Best Play - R10 Q/Qp 5,7,10,
Paul Lally:
R1 9-8-12-10
R2 2-1-3-4
R3 10-1-11-6
R4 2-7-12-1
R5 2-7-8-5
R6 3-5-9-4
R7 5-4-9-2
R8 5-6-8-7
R9 6-7-2-10
R10 9-12-3-1
Hong Kong-based runners figure to dominate Saturday’s $318,483 Hong Kong-Macau Trophy at Sha Tin Racecourse, an annual handicap race that brings together runners from both racing circuits.
The seven-furlong turf race drew a field of 14, featuring 10 runners from Hong Kong and four from Macau. Horses from Hong Kong have the nine highest weight assignments.
Joyful Trinity, who was ninth in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy at a mile on turf at Sha Tin on April 8, will carry topweight of 133 pounds.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Saturday, May 12, 2018)
RACE 1: #8 Victorious Leader, #7 Speedy Dragon, #9 Shimmer And Shine, #12 Lunar Zephyr
RACE 2: #3 Mi Blanco, #5 Rock The Tree, #1 Golden Kid, #4 Sweet Bean
RACE 3: #1 Giddy Giddy, #10 Flying Godspell, #11 Starlot, #7 Elusive State
RACE 4: #7 Yee Cheong Pegasus, #6 Golden Four, #2 Sunny Power, #4 Experto Crede
RACE 5: #3 Photon Willie, #7 Strathspey, #5 Desmios, #12 Presidentparamount
Young Rascal overcame trouble to win his stakes debut in Wednesday’s Group 3 Chester Vase at Chester Racecourse in England, a key prep for the English Derby at Epsom Racecourse on June 2.
Young Rascal (10-3) raced in traffic in the final quarter-mile under jockey James Doyle, but found sufficient running room to reach the front with more than a sixteenth of a mile remaining. Young Rascal won the $136,000 Chester Vase by a half-length over 12-1 Dee Ex Bee.
