By Wally Pyrah
HAPPY Valley in Hong Kong hosts another nine-race programme today, jam-packed with highly competitive handicaps and featuring the £200,000 Graham Handicap (2.45pm) over the extended mile.
The unseasonably rainy weather has continued to be an important factor in determining winners over the past month, with Sha Tin last Sunday continuing the trend of favouring gallopers who race up with the early pace.
The majority of winners on the 11-race card all bounced out near the front from the start, with only Zac Purton bucking the trend aboard Aestheticism, when coming from the back to grab the spoils during the action.
Purton was the headline act over the weekend, much to the delight of his many thousands of supporters, riding a four-timer and completing a century of winners for the ninth time in the city.
The champion jockey is obviously going to be popular with racegoers again at the city-track, with rides in eight of the nine races and – importantly – riding at his lowest weight of 8st 5lb for only the second time this season aboard Chain Of Gold in the main race.
Given the Zac-Man has suffered with weight problems for many years, he obviously means business climbing aboard the Cody Mo-trained four-year-old, who went into everyone’s ‘black-book’ when finishing strongly in an incident-packed contest behind Ivy League last month.
To ignore those important factors is normally a quick way to the poor house, but there are reasons to believe he may come up short against an equally progressive galloper in ZOOM BOOM, who will be seeking to successfully follow-up last month’s impressive course and distance victory.
On that occasion, having raced wide for the majority of the journey, the Douglas Whyte-trained gelding still had enough left in the tank to run away from his rivals down the home straight and win in convincing fashion.
With go-to pilot Andrea Atzeni taking over in the saddle and likely to slot in just behind the leaders from the off, the omens are looking good for a repeat victory.
Atzeni, with 37 wins and lying fifth in the jockeys’ championship, has become one of the most sought-after riders in the territory and is a firm favourite with racegoers and trainers.
The 33-year-old could have further success on the card when he takes the ride on promising four-year-old THE KHAN,who finally races over his optimum trip in the On Lan Handicap (3.15pm) over the extended mile.
The Caspar Fownes-trained son of Acclamation has been bubbling beneath the surface in four career races to date, and having cost £400,000 at last year’s Hong Kong International Sale, is surely better than his present handicap mark.
Expect plenty of improvement now racing over his ideal trip, and with a favourable draw mapping him for an ideal journey.
POINTERS
Zoom Boom 2.45pm Happy Valley
The Khan 3.15pm Happy Valley
