Hong Kong Action Set for Sunday Morning

Flat racing punters have some real excitement ahead of them as the world’s second richest horse race is set to unfold at Sha Tin on Sunday morning. There are four especially tasty-looking races including the Mile, Vase, Sprint and the Hong Kong Cup itself. We’ll be taking a look at two of the races in detail today.

Hong Kong Mile

You generally don’t find 14/1 prices on a horse attempting to win a race for the fourth time on the bounce but that’s indeed the case here as Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan), a record holder at 1:32.71, is way back in the betting for the 2010 Hong Kong Mile. Granted, the eight year-old American-bred bay has had a relatively garbage year with a slew of eighth place finishes to his credit over the Sha Tin surface. Oddly enough though he didn’t really have a stand-out record last year either and still won the race.

He wasn’t facing off against Paco Boy (Desert Style) last year though, and this classy five year-old has been duking it out on the turf circuit with Goldikova (Anabaa) for the better part of 2010. He scored on his seasonal debut in the Bet365 Mile at Sandown back in April and then followed it up with a Lockinge Stakes victory at Newbury. Neither of those fields was as impressive as the one he’ll face off against here and not winning any of his past five counts as a stroke against him. At 5/2, Paco Boy is a bit too short considering he is untested over Hong Kong grass.

Hong Kong Vase

Melbourne Cup winner Americain (Dynaformer) takes on an accomplished field in the 2010 Hong Kong Vase and he’ll be looking to build on his dramatic victory at Flemington. This is a tougher-looking race than the Hong Kong Mile and his 4/1 price tag makes him the lukewarm favourite. You can expect him to get bet down heavily on the day as Aussie punters get in a patriotic bet on the globetrotting bay. He definitely has the measure of the distance and his ability to win at anything from 1m4f to 2m demonstrates his versatility. There is a very good chance that he will travel mid-pack on the rail so he’ll likely be dangerous if he gets a clean shot during the final few furlongs.

Both Joshua Tree (Montjeu) and Redwood (High Chaparral) step up for a tilt at this one and they both boast plenty of quality but may find themselves outmatched here. Joshua Tree scored in the Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International at Woodbine but was an also-ran in the Japan Cup, finishing tenth. Redwood is unraced since finishing third in the Pattison. Both contenders trade at 14/1 or so.

Placed fifth in the Dubai World Cup, Godolphin’s Mastery (Sulamani) is taking a bit of money for this one but based off his last effort some punters may want to reconsider. He managed to force a dead-heat when sent off as the 1/2 favourite in a listed race at Kempton. That’s not really the type of emphatic victory connections were obviously hoping for and you have to wonder whether a runner who just got home against eight year-old warhorse handicapper Dansili Dancer (Dansili) means you’re ready to go off at single digits in the Hong Kong Vase?