By Wally Pyrah
RACEGOERS and bettors are in for a feast of excitement in Hong Kong today when Happy Valley hosts its flagship event of the year, the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship.
With many of the world’s best jockeys in action for the £750,000 four-race championship, you can guarantee the inner-city track will be packed to the rafters with spectators ready to experience top-class action throughout the nine-race meeting.
With the likes of 2023 LONGINES World’s Best Jockey Ryan Moore, top Hong Kong icon Zac Purton, James McDonald representing New Zealand, and the husband and wife team of Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle in competition to win the £60,000 first-prize, this has the makings of a mouth-watering spectacle.
With points allocated to the winner (12pts), second (6pts), and third (4pts) for each of the four legs (12.10pm, 12.40pm, 1.40pm and 2.10pm), it’s anyone’s guess who will be top jockey, but if pushed for a choice, James McDonald makes plenty of appeal.
McDonald’s best chance of taking maximum points is when he climbs aboard GAMEPLAYER ELITE in the fourth and final leg of the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (2.10pm) over six furlongs.
This fast-improving Douglas Whyte-trained gelding produced an eye-catching performance on only his second run in Hong Kong, when coming from the clouds to just miss out on a place behind Wonder Kit last month.
His final sectional time in that contest was under 23 seconds, which was the fastest of the evening, and with an all-important low draw in stall two in his favor, he will take plenty of beating.
In the same race, keep an eye the Jamie Richards-trained Sinba, the subject of plenty of encouraging talk from track work watchers, who wears blinkers again, having won when wearing the aids three times in Australia.
Richards, whose stable have shown glimpses of returning to top form following a quiet couple of months, will be hoping for further progress from SIXTH GENERATION who takes his chance in the third leg of the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (1.40pm) over the extended mile.
This former three-time course and distance winner has taken some time to reach peak fitness this season, but showed he was not far off his best with an encouraging effort behind smart Chill Chibi last month.
The handicapper has been kind, dropping him a further two points in the ratings, and with an inside draw mapping him for a trouble-free journey there is plenty to suggest he can go close at attractive odds.
The obvious threat has to be recent course and distance winner Quantum Patch, who confirmed earlier promise with an emphatic victory over his rivals late last month.
The son of Gleneagles has always promised to turn into a smart middle-distance performer, but a hefty eight-pound penalty tempers enthusiasm on this occasion, and Sixth Generation offers better value.
POINTERS
Sixth Generation 1.40pm Happy Valley
Gameplayer Elite 2.10pm Happy Valley
