Welcome to our horse racing preview and betting tips for racing at Happy Valley on Wednesday, September 9th.
Racing returns to Happy Valley for the first time in the 2020/21 Hong Kong season, with eight races on the B course to kick things off!
Tim Geers is very keen to get stuck in and he's previewed a number of the key races on the night below!
Happy Valley Racing Tips: Wednesday, September 9th
Siding with (9) La Bomba on top here for Joao Moreira and Manfred Man. Drawing barrier 1 over the 1000m on the B course is a bad thing, and drawing out isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so I’m not overly put off by barrier 12. He only raced 8 weeks ago so the fitness will be on his side, and Moreira booked for his first run of the season looks a big positive. (8) Aurora Steed is drawn to his immediate inside in barrier 11. Zac Purton is booked for Casper Fownes and that looks another good lead. His only career placing came over this track and distance so he could get his chance early in the season tonight. He looks the value at $9.00. (2) Yee Cheong Lucky won two starts ago and ran 3rd last start, not beaten far at all. Off those two runs he should be very competitive. Very happy to oppose (5) Gouten Of Garo who has won just once from 32 career starts and starts favourite here.
Value: (8) Aurora Steed $9.00
(6) Charity Grand is still only fairly lightly-raced and unexposed and he lines up with Purton booked from barrier 1 tonight. Barrier 1 is a negative over the 1000m course but it’s a huge positive over 1650m. He’s yet to do much fresh from three starts first up but he’s got a good record over this track and distance and the champion jockey on tonight signals he may be ready to go.
The topweight (1) Nextmodel looks hard to beat if he can reproduce his last-start winning performance but he does carry 4.5kg extra weight as a penalty for that win. Purton keeps the ride and no doubt he is the one to beat, but at the prices I think (2) G Unit is a decent each way bet. He’s having his first start for David Hayes having previously been with John Moore, and we saw David Hayes start with a double on Sunday at Sha Tin. Barrier 5 is a great draw for the 1000m, he goes well at the track and distance, and he looks like he can be very competitive.
Barrier 1 is a gold mine over 1200m on this course and that’s what (2) Harmony Hero comes up with. He’s had a few chances before tonight but he’s never been ridden by Purton. He’s had six starts at the track and distance for four 3rd placings, so he’s capable, and with Purton on from the gun draw tonight, he really gets his chance. (3) Simply Fluke looks his main danger for Whyte and Badel. He won consecutive races last season over this track and distance off a similar break to what he comes into tonight off.
The query is whether (10) Lightning Steed returns in the same vein of form that he left last season in, but if he does he’ll take some beating here. He won consecutive races over this track and distance in Class 4, before stepping up to Class 3 and running 2nd over 1800m. Moreira gets back aboard tonight, he carries a similar weight to what he did last start, and returns to 1650m. Drawn ideally in barrier 2, he appears hard to beat.
(10) Lightning Steed
$2.70
