The Richard Gibson-trained Victory Power caught the eye on debut and gets the chance to notch his maiden victory in the Class Four Kam Tin River Handicap (1,200m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
After dropping back from a wide barrier at his first race start three weeks ago, jockey Matthew Chadwick stuck to the rail on the three-year-old and he attacked the line to get himself into a photo for third.
A better draw this time around should see him settle a bit closer in transit, while he will have come on both in terms of fitness and experience.
Victory Power flashed ability at his trials in New Zealand and Hong Kong and looks set to win races.
Clear Choice obliged as the favourite in the Ewo Challenge Trophy, a race which dates to the 1920s in Hong Kong and was the back end of a race-to-race double for Keith Yeung #HappyWednesdayHK pic.twitter.com/S35Q6JWdrW
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 18, 2018
The biggest danger looks to be David Hall’s Seventy Seventy (Zac Purton), who is trying to bounce back after a flat run last start.
The three-year-old had impressed at the trials and was narrowly beaten on debut, but only battled away to finish eighth at his second start in March.
Hall sent him back to the trials, where he won, and has now put the blinkers on for his Happy Valley debut.
Richard Gibson’s Victory Power catches the eye on debut
Zero Hedge (Joao Moreira), Buoyant Boy (Karis Teetan) and Beaut Beaut (Chad Schofield) are the others to put into the multiples.
Hall and Purton also combine with the smart Fast Most Furious in the Shan Pui River Handicap (1,200m), who look good winning over same course and distance last month.
It took a few runs for the Irish import to find his feet, but he has shown what he is capable of in his two most recent starts.
Zac Purton guides Fast Most Furious to victory.
Fast Most Furious was held up badly in the straight two runs back and just missed when he did find clear running but he bounced back with a comfortable victory three weeks ago.
While he remains in Class Three, he faces a eight-pound weight rise, but he has drawn well in barrier four.
From there, he should get a cosy run midfield before peeling out in the straight and letting down with his strong sprint.
David Hall’s Fast Most Furious ready to win after an unlucky second at Happy Valley
However he will not get it all his own way in what looks a competitive event with John Moore’s Storm Signal (Moreira), front-runner Exceptional Desire (Jack Wong Ho-nam) and Back In Black (Tommy Berry) all knocking on the door recently.
Another horse close to a breakthrough is Ricky Yiu Poon-fai’s Go Go Win, who lines up in the Class Four Ng Tung River Handicap (1,800m).
Matthew Poon gives Go Go Win a pat.
In the gelding’s past seven starts in the grade, he has one win, four seconds, a third and a fourth – so you know he won’t be far away.
Matthew Poon Ming-fai takes the ride – the apprentice was the last jockey to win on him – and is set to push forward from barrier five, following the same formula from their June victory.
If the five-pound claimer can dictate from the front, he will be hard to run down.
The major threats to the eight-year-old are a couple of horses who have also been around the mark recently in King Bountiful (Moreira) and Polymer Luck (Schofield).
