By Ed Culham
ALL RACING fans will have their eyes focused on Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Sunday, when local superstar California Spangle makes his eagerly-awaited return in the feature race of the day, the £540,000 Group Two Sha Tin Trophy (9.05am), a handicap run over a mile.
The ‘Spangle’ has created a huge fan-club over the last few seasons, with a race-record of 10 wins and never having finished out of the first three in all his 18 races.
His titanic tussles against champions Golden Sixty, Romantic Warrior and Lucky Sweynesse will go down in local racing folklore and he will once again have a huge following when he reappears in what is, so far, the best race of the season in Hong Kong.
There is a slight concern about California Spangle, however; his regular pilot, Zac Purton, has jumped ship to partner emerging superstar Beauty Eternal, while his track-work leading up to the contest has been just okay at best.
This is highlighted by the fact that he had seven trials last season and won them all. Since returning to the track in August, he has trialled twice and been beaten on both occasions.
Maybe his light is growing dimmer and, with automatic top-weight, he is passed over in favour of BEAUTY ETERNAL, who is looking stronger and improved for his seasonal run and is surely needs to win to have any high expectations for the Group One HK Mile on International Races Day in December.
Rivals include Russian Emperor, Senor Toba and Straight Arron, who are all best in stamina-laden contests and are likely to be using this race as a stepping-stone for future targets.
Maybe either Money Catcher, well-handicapped with California Spangle on last season’s course and distance form, or the progressive Encountered, who – for some reason – didn’t fire on his reappearance, can make the frame at rewarding odds.
POINTERS
Beauty Eternal 9.05am Sha Tin
