Welcome to our horse racing preview and betting tips for racing at Sha Tin on Sunday, April 19th.
Sha Tin hosts a big 10-race card tonight, with the first race set to get underway at 2.45pm AEST. Racing is on the C+3 course.
Check out our race-by-race preview and betting tips below!
Sha Tin Racing Tips: Sunday, April 19th
Best Bet: Race 6 - (5) Heza Beauty
Next Best: Race 9 - (12) Will Power
Best Value: Race 5 - (4) Thou Shall Sing
Tough way to start things off but we have (1) Hurricane Hunter as the $2.70 favourite here which means I have to bet around him. He gets his chance from an inside draw but he's had plenty of chances already and looks a skinny price. (2) Joy Master gets the 'Purton on a class-dropper' set up. He was actually competitive in Class 4 at the end of last year before his form tailed off in recent starts. But he drops to Class 5 today and the last time he raced in this class he won over the mile here at Sha Tin. He's been ridden by Dylan Mo, Jack Wong and Matthew Poon in his last three starts, so he gets a big jockey change today. From the good draw he should give this a good shake at $6.50. (3) Seize The Spirit completely turned his form around last prep, with three top-two finishes from as many starts. He's had a break and returns today, and if he returns in the same kind of form as what he showed last pre he can go close at $7.50. Plenty more chances but something small on those two at the prices.
Value: (3) Seize The Spirit $7.50
This is a nightmare of a race. (8) Cheerful Star hasn't had much go right in recent starts but he's drawn well in barrier 2 today and typically when he gets the right run he isn't far away at the finish. He can improve on last start when he had no hope trapped wide from the outside gate. (11) Good Days draws wide in 11 but he ran well for 2nd last start despite having trouble getting clear in the straight. Again he's a horse that hasn't had much go right but when he gets the right run he can be competitve. The draw is the query but he's at double figures and isn't a bad chance. Purton takes over the ride on (7) Full Power coming off a last-start win and looks a solid chance of winning again. (6) Jimmu is a blowout chance.
On the dirt track for this race. Sticking with (14) Super Red Dragon here, who I was with last start when he ran 2nd over the track and distance. He was left in front a fair way from home and was run down by (5) Righteous Mate, who he faces again today. Chris So has a good record with his runners over 1650m on the dirt and from the good draw he should be hard to beat. I'll stick with Super Red Dragon to turn the tables but the price discrepency with Righteous Mate is a bit silly given Righteous Mate beat him last start and is at double figure odds today. (12) Megatron is value at $10. He returns to the dirt today which he was racing well on prior to his last-start run at Happy Valley. He draws very well i barrier 4 and gets down to a winnable mark with the assistance of the claim.
Value: (12) Megatron $10
(14) Super Red Dragon
$3.70
The wide draw is a small concern but (14) Foodie Princess looks just about a good thing here. He's got a great record on the dirt, having never finished out of the top four from his seven starts on the all-weather track. He put two wins together in Class 4 before running 2nd with top weight last start, beaten a neck over 1800m. Back to the 1650m today, Moreira stays on him, he's up in class bu tgets in with 51.5kg and he looks very hard to beat. (8) Clear Choice is racing well and should be around the mark again from an inside draw. (1) Ping Hai Treasure might need the run but he's got a terrific record on the dirt.
(14) Foodie Princess
$2.40
Happy to say there's only three winning chances here. (1) Super Power Man kept us the outstanding record of trainer Manfred Man with runners over 1200m on the dirt last start when he led from start to finish after jumping well from gate 12. He starts from barrier 2 tonight so he should be right up there once again and despite the increase in weight, looks hard to beat. Manfred Man has a 28% winning strike rate over 1200m on the dirt. Moreira and Size team up with (6) Excel Delight who also goes very well on the dirt, with a win and three 2nds from five starts on the surface. He's only been narrowly defeated in his past two runs so from a middle draw today there's no reason he can't go very close once more. The value is (4) Thou Shall Sing who we tipped at double figure odds last start when he was backed off the map in Hong Kong and won. That was his first run on the dirt and he made it a winning start. Francis Lui is another trainer who has a good record on the dirt and he looks over the odds again at $15 from a good draw.
Value: (4) Thou Shall Sing $15
(1) Super Power Man
$3.10
The run of (5) Heza Beauty dead set had to be seen to be believed last start. He bombed the start completely and came from last to run 3rd, beaten less than a length. He would have won by a furlong had he jumped properly. He had two starts prior to that when ridden by Lyle Hewitson and Grant van Niekerk, but Moreira went on last start which indicated he was ready to win, and all he has to do today is jump properly to make amends for it. Purton jumps off a last-start winner to ride (6) Telecom Rocket so he should be around the mark after running well for 2nd last start with no luck. (4) Team Power is knocking on the door but might just find one too good again today.
Good little race this. (4) Fantasy was a dominant winner last start and he's drawn barrier 1 today which is ideal over the 1200m course, so he should be very hard to beat. However, I'm siding with (11) Eternal Harvest at $6.50. He was also a dominant winner over this track and distance two starts ago, where he actually ran better figures than Fantasy, and he then started $3.90 against Wellington last start. He was disappointing in that but you have to respect his SP profile on that occasion and also the figures he ran when winning two starts ago. Gets in much lighter at the weights than Fantasy and he's drawn well in barrier 4. We're getting $6.50 today which looks a great price. (2) Handsome Bobo ran 2nd to Fantasy first up and gets a 3.5kg weight swing in his favour so he should run well.
(11) Eternal Harvest
$6.50
(2) Utopia Life is another Manfred Man runner that bolted in on the dirt last start and he finds another very winnable race today if he can repeat that performance. He only cops a 2kg penalty so from the low draw he should get a good trip and be very hard to beat once again. The value could be (9) Star Luck at $10. He's drawn wide but that's not a big issue on the dirt over 1200m, the barrier stats are all incredibly even so draws aren't a big deal here. He's been around the mark on the turf recently with three consecutive placings, and he gets back onto the dirt today, which is the surface both career wins have come on. Expect him to go close.
Exceptionally keen to bet here. (12) Will Power looks incredibly hard to beat here. He's had four career starts, all four on the dirt, and has won three of them. The one he didn't win, he ran 2nd in and on that occasion he closed off very strongly, pulling 3.5L clear of 3rd. He's up into a restricted Class 2 for the first time but he carries 53.5kg and looks quite clearly the horse they all have to beat. (9) Winner Supreme is some value at $13. He has three wins and three placings from seven starts on the dirt. He's undefeated second up and will go much better than he went first up at Happy Valley - you shouldn't be concerned about that run. He looks a big price. (2) King's Shield was only run down very late last start after looking home. He's another horse who excels on the dirt but the query is the drop back from 1650m to 1200m. Very keen on Will Power and Winner Supreme.
Value: (9) Winner Supreme $13
(2) Mighty Giant should be winning once again here. He's won his past two easily and although he cops a 4kg rise in the weights, he had more in hand last start. His two defeats have been when ridden by Alex Lai. Purton is undefeated on him and he should win this on his way to Class 2. (8) Juneau Park looks the one that might trouble him, he's also won his past two and obviously gets in lighter at the weights, but Mighty Giant has run much better figures than him and I've got him well ahead of Juneau Park.
