Fownes and Ho Perfect Together at the Valley
LOCAL racegoers can look forward to the first race meeting of the year at Happy Valley, when the city track hosts a nine-race card, starting at 10.40am on Wednesday.
Former four-time champion trainer Caspar Fownes will surely be licking his lips with anticipation at a return to his favourite track after a relatively quiet Christmas period.
The self-acclaimed ‘King of the Valley’ has failed to hit the bullseye at the last three Sha Tin meetings, and after leading the trainers’ championship race going into Christmas now finds himself one behind Mark Newnham, who leads with 27 winners.
Fownes will surely have a spring in his step when he arrives at the city venue, however, having already saddled 18 of his 26 winners at the Valley, and having a 33% win-and-place strike-rate from all his runners at the track this current campaign.
Fownes sends half-a-dozen raiders to the venue and must have high hopes of at least two or three gallopers ending up in the winners’ circle.
Well-handicapped LOVE TOGETHER gets a huge chance to retrieve expensive losses after getting knocked sideways when leaving the gates behind Candlelight Dinner over the course and distance last month.
The son of Capitalist lines up in the Chater Handicap (1.45pm) over five furlongs and importantly is boxed in a favoured gate in two.
Having already shown he has plenty of ability when finishing strongly from an uncompromising position when runner-up on only his second career start, his chance looks obvious and he could be a welcome winner for jockey Vincent Ho.
Ho has found it tough going over the past month and is currently on a losing sequence of 42, but he is too good a jockey to let that period of bad luck extend much longer and hopefully will be back saluting the crowd in victory again.
The 39-year-old local pilot could enjoy a quick-fire double when he climbs aboard PERFECT GENERAL again, in the Connaught Handicap (2.15pm) over six furlongs.
The son of Zoustar finished strongly after having to be taken back from an outside draw behind Sports Legend last time, on what was his first go in Class Three company.
This time the five-year-old has drawn an important inside gate in two, which should allow him to sit closer to the early speed.
Now with Ho, who guided him to his last success two starts ago, climbing back aboard, he could be capable of returning to the winners’ circle.
In the same race, keep an eye on bottom-weight My Day My Way, who ran far better than his final position suggested on his last start, and has a tongue-tie applied for the first time.
The Fownes stable will be full of confidence that Corleone can complete a hat-trick in the Des Voeux Handicap (2.50pm) over the extended mile.
Although raised in class, he carries 20 pounds less in the saddle, has in-form pilot Maxime Guyon aboard, and aided by a good draw, is guaranteed to be a popular choice.
His opposition looks strong however, with the likes of Loch Tay, King Lotus and well-rated Romantic Laos in the line-up, and it’s not easy to determine the winner.
POINTERS
Love Together 1.45pm Happy Valley
Perfect General 2.15pm Happy