By Ed Culham
WITH only a handful of fixtures remaining before the end of the Hong Kong season, and connections in the territory desperate to get a win before their horses earn a welcome summer break, it may be worth looking beyond the obvious for potential winners.
Former champion trainer Dennis Yip has had a season to forget with just 21 winners on the scoresheet and is languishing in the bottom-half of the trainers’ table.
The popular local handler started off the season brightly, but from Christmas onwards has found winners hard to come by, and has suffered long losing sequences along the way.
There has, however, been signs of a revival in recent times, with a couple of winners at the Valley and a double at Sha Tin on Saturday, suggesting the stable could be ending the season on a high.
With the majority of Yip’s performers now on attractive marks in the handicap, keep a close eye on his runners in the closing weeks, with winners likely to pop up at attractive odds.
It is hard to make a case for FIRE BALL in the opener, the Waglan Island Handicap (12.15pm) over seven furlongs, but a close look at the formbook suggests he has had little or no chance from a series of high draws in recent times.
Finally, he has now got an all-important low gate in two and finds himself running off a mark four pounds lower than the one he won off earlier in the season.
With useful claimer Angus Chung taking off another valuable seven pounds in the saddle, and likely to bounce his mount out and be up with the pace from the off, Fire Ball’s chances looks bright and he could surprise better fancied rivals.
POINTERS
Fire Ball (e/w) 12.15pm Sha Tin
