By Paul Ryding
A crop of talented young horses, building on impressive last-start wins, takes centre stage at Sha Tin on Sunday (15 March) with Frankie Lor’s four-year-old Smart Golf, now 17 points advanced from his starting mark, leading the way.
The Australian-bred gelding powered to a second win of the season (from four starts) at Sha Tin three weeks ago, prevailing by two and a quarter lengths, carrying top weight in a Class 4 1200m contest.
Little Paradise and Stormy Grove top an exciting list of 14 selected runners for next Sunday’s (22 March) HK$26 million 149th BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) at Sha Tin – the ultimate test for Hong Kong’s up-and-coming horses seeking once-in-a-lifetime glory in the final leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which in 2026 carries even more prestige in the Year of the Horse.
Paul Lally:
R1 1-6-7-12
R2 7-9-5-8
R3 1-7-5-2
R4 4-5-3-1
R5 2-5-9-12
R6 5-6-10-12
R7 12-2-13-1
R8 2-7-1-4
R9 7-5-6-3
R10 3-2-4-6
R11 11-2-8-4
Best Bet R10 N3 Red Sea
Longshot R5 N2 Super Love
Play R6 QQP 5-6-10
Tom Wood:
R1: 9-1-12-2
R2: 8-9-7-5
R3: 5-1-2-9
R4: 3-4-1-7
R5: 4-2-10-5
R6: 10-6-4-12
R7: 1-2-6-7
R8: 7-2-5-1
R9: 6-5-3-2
R10: 8-3-4-2
R11: 2-7-11-8
If a third time trying something is a charm, what on Earth is the fifth?
On Thursday at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England, the 11-year-old gelding Home By The Lee made his fifth consecutive appearance in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle, and won the three-mile race for the first time in an upset.
Home By The Lee paid $64.20 in American pools, the eighth choice in a field of 10.
By Leo Schlink
Caspar Fownes’ quest for a fifth Hong Kong trainers’ championship continued to gain momentum with a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (11 March) as he stretched his lead to five wins over nearest rival David Hayes.
Cinsault has compiled a three-race winning streak in Australia since late January that has done little to impress bettors.
A 4-year-old Southern Hemisphere filly, Cinsault won her group stakes debut in the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney on Feb. 21. The victory has led to Cinsault’s Group 1 debut in Saturday’s Coolmore Classic at 7 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares at Rosehill Gardens.
As of Wednesday, Cinsault was 8-1 in early betting behind Lazzura (7-2), Savvy Hallie (4-1), and Ole Dancer (6-1).
Il Etait Temps, who fell two fences from the finish of a Grade 1 race at Ascot in January, delivered a largely mistake-free performance to win Wednesday’s Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at two miles at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England.
Il Etait Temps, who paid $6.80 in American pools as the second choice in a field of 10, gave leading Irish jumps trainer Willie Mullins a sweep of the three Grade 1 races on Wednesday’s seven-race program at Cheltenham.
Despite a perfect record in four steeplechases, the latest a famous race at Christmastime, The Jukebox Man is somewhat short of respect for the biggest race of his career in Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England.
The Jukebox Man was the 9-2 third choice in early betting with bookmakers on Wednesday for the $838,500 Gold Cup, run at 3 5/16 miles over 22 fences on an undulating course.
The 9-year-old geldings Fact to File and Teahupoo have thrived at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England the last few years, a consistency that will make them favorites to win Grade 1 races on Thursday’s third day of the four-day National Hunt festival.
Fact to File, trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, was the 4-5 favorite in early betting on Tuesday to win Thursday’s $503,250 Ryanair Chase at 2 5/8 miles for the second consecutive year.
