Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath with three selections at Happy Valley on Wednesday

Amazing Award
1.10 Happy Valley
2pts win

Wrote A New Page
2.45 Happy Valley 
2pts win

Dragon Four Seas
3.50 Happy Valley
2pts win

A brilliant first season looks set to continue for David Eustace when he sends out the consistent Amazing Award in the Class 4 handicap (1.10), over 1m½f, at Happy Valley.

As the hot, humid weather becomes ever more oppressive, some of the results recently have been just as difficult to bear. Battle-weary horses and tired tracks are having an effect.

Eustace meanwhile is like a 'fresh horse’ who has just jumped in, and with 33 wins on the board he will fire in quite a few more before the season ends on July 16. He now trains 70 horses, with 86 per cent of them rated under 70, a daunting statistic for his rivals.

Amazing Award has the potential to go much higher up the ladder. He comes into this off the back of an encouraging second to Sky Vino from stall nine at this course last month, and drawn better (stall one) this time, he will be hard to beat.

Put a line through The Azure’s last run as he was drawn off the track (12), and is yet another who will benefit greatly from starting closer to the inside rail, which is a decided advantage on Hong Kong’s tight city track.

The winners are starting to flow for Harry Bentley, and one of his more recent ones, the Danny Shum-trained Wrote A New Page, could be ready to go in again when contesting the Class 4 handicap (2.45) over 1m½f.

The progress made by this three-year-old in his last two outings suggests he has a bright future. He is a son of the High Chaparral stallion Wrote, who won a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf for Coolmore.

Wrote A New Page won by a short head last time, but he should easily cope with a 6lb ratings hike. The in-form California Moxie, trained by Tony Cruz, is his biggest danger in an intriguing race.

It would not be a Hong Kong meeting without a Zac Purton winner and, from a relatively small book of five rides, he can most look forward to the Manfred Man-trained Dragon Four Seas in the finale, the Class 3 6f sprint handicap (3.50) in which Power Koepp is next best.

Happy Valley Placepot perm

1.10
2 The Azure
5 Amazing Award

1.40
2 Seasons Wit
9 Parents’ Love

2.10
3 Lahore
9 Always My Folks

2.45
3 Wrote A New Page
7 California Moxie

3.15
3 Aetheticism
8 Stellar Swift

3.50
3 Power Koepp
7 Dragon Four Seas

2x2x2x2x2x2=64 lines

Bets can be placed into Hong Kong pools with the Tote. The first race at Happy Valley on Wednesday is at 11.40am.

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