Hong Kong Racing Tips: Little very much a Player for Hayes
WHILE leading trainer Caspar Fownes can’t stop saddling winners in Hong Kong – he celebrated his 500th winner at Happy Valley last week – at the other end of the spectrum, legendary handler David Hayes, has made an underwhelming start to his second career move to the territory.
The former HK champion trainer and Melbourne Cup winner has only saddled seven winners since returning from a twenty-year hiatus in Australia.
With a stable full of mostly young, inexperienced or unraced youngsters, Hayes has had to be at his most patient, while rivals like Fownes, Frankie Lor, and Tony Cruz have been saddling winners at regular intervals.
There have been signs over the past couple of weeks however, that the stable is now starting to send out their heavy artillery, notably the exciting Harmony N Blessed and then Super Axiom who left his rivals toiling at Sha Tin last Sunday.
Over the next month or so, bettors should keep a careful eye on all of Hayes’s unraced gallopers and it’s a confident prediction the stable will soon be moving up the trainers’ championship ladder.
Hayes sends a couple of runners to the Valley on Wednesday, including New Zealand import LITTLE PLAYER, who lines-up in the Gloucester Handicap (12.45pm) over six furlongs.
This well-bred four-year-old produced an encouraging debut when fourth over the straight five furlongs at Sha Tin recently.
With a good draw in his favour and looking sure to improve for a step up in distance, he is going to be hard to beat.
POINTERS
Little Player 12.45pm Happy Valley
