Purton can land Lucky Touch with Hayes’ Aurio
WITH Hong Kong experiencing hot and humid weather at present, expect surface conditions to ride fast when city track Happy Valley hosts a nine-race card, starting at 11.35am on Wednesday.
There has still been no respite for favourite backers at the Valley in the past month, with just one market leader obliging last week, making it only three winning favourites from the last 27 races.
With a programme full of highly competitive and wide-open handicaps, bettors are going to have to work hard to find those elusive winners during the action.
It may help that racing takes place on the ‘A’ course where the majority of winners came from inside gates when they raced on the track last month, and it was an obvious advantage to up near the front from the off.
It is also guaranteed that when bettors find themselves in head-scratching mode, they will side blindly with jockey Zac Purton’s mounts in the hope he can fill their pockets with fistfuls of dollars.
The champion, who was lucky to get away unscathed when his mount Bundle Award smacked his previously injured ankle when leaving the gates on Sunday, has a handful of rides on the card, and the majority need serious consideration.
The David Hayes-trained AURIO looks the best of his quintet when he seeks to lose his maiden tag in the France Galop Cup (2.05pm), a handicap over six furlongs.
The Hayes and Purton partnership have been on fire this season with 13 victories and a 27 percent win strike-rate.
The son of Capitalist drops down in class for the first time, despite some commendable efforts against the likes of useful gallopers Beauty Destiny and Invincible Shield, and looks fairly treated on his best form.
A series of double-figure draws may have hindered his progress recently, but he now finally draws a favoured gate of five, and with Purton climbing aboard for the first time everything looks in place for a winning journey.
The likes of last-start winner Iconical in division two of the Saint-Cloud Handicap (2.40pm) over the extended mile, and King Miles who cost bettors a fortune when beaten last start and seeks compensation in the Parislongchamp Handicap (3.50pm) over six furlongs, are other Purton rides that will garner plenty of support.
In the Deauville Handicap (3.15pm) over the extended mile, the Zac-Man reunites with Jamie Richards-trained LUCKY TOUCH having won on the four-year-old back in November.
The New Zealand-bred import, who had recently been testing himself on the all-weather surface, returned to the turf with an encouraging fourth behind A Americ Te Specso over the course and distance three weeks ago.
There is no doubt a wide draw cost him any chance of victory in that contest, and this time with gate two in his favour, he is guaranteed to sit closer to the early pace before making his bid for glory.
POINTERS
Aurio 2.05pm Happy Valley
Lucky Touch 3.15pm Happy Valley