Free betting tips for Sha Tin

Sixty stays home as Ellis steps up

A swift roundup of the last few days on the HK beat: hopes that Golden Sixty might test his brilliance abroad have come to an end with the news that trainer Francis Lui has pulled the plug on a proposed trip to Japan this summer and is eyeing a swansong at the Longines HKIR in December instead.

Tony Cruz celebrated his first treble of the season at Happy Valley on Wednesday with two of the three partnered by apprentice Angus Chung.

File fancies Happy United and Hoss obliged for the dangerous duo of Zac Purton and Jamie Richards. And HK’s new 10lb claimer Ellis Wong makes his first Sha Tin appearance on Sunday aboard debut winner Kaholo Angel for Caspar Fownes on a card that features several strong handicaps.

Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce Centenary Cup (8.35)

GOLDEN EXPRESS ripped through Class 3 with two commanding course and distance wins in March and April, relishing a true pace and winning with bundles in hand. He still looks well in despite a further 10lb hike – and the speedy Nervous Witness should ensure the pace is on again - but the odds are bound to be tight so the Quinella looks the way to go.

The handicapper has raised ADIOS from 65 to 88 for three wins this term but Frankie Lor’s gelding continues in great nick judged on a luckless latest effort, where he endured a torrid passage after being dropped out from a wide draw. Stall 1 should help him secure smoother sailing under Karis Teetan and his prospects of reversing recent form with Oriental Smoke, Goko Win and Carroll Street look bright.

Queen Mother Memorial Cup (9.35)

There are only three races in the HK calendar over 2400m but this £395,000 handicap features several smart horses who are proven at the trip, headed by dual G1 winner Russian Emperor, last year’s winner Senor Toba, 2021 winner Butterfield and former champion stayer Panfield.

Panfield has been trialling well over much shorter and looks poised to run a cheeky race at a price but the key question here revolves around whether some useful up and comers can shine from out of the handicap. This looks very tricky to price up because of that riddle but I suspect they can and Straight Arron, Sword Point and Five G Patch all have something to recommend them.

Straight Arron was kyboshed by the dawdling pace in the Derby over 2000m but took a huge step forward granted a better gallop over 1800m three weeks ago, surging clear of Sword Point in tremendous style, while Five G Patch looked a little unlucky when coming from a tough spot last time and shouldn’t be dismissed even though he’s well out of the weights.

Regular readers will know Sword Point has been on my radar for some while. That Derby crawl was a write-off and Straight Arron breezed past him last time but this is a different race over a much different distance. It’s impossible to be confident given he’s 9lb wrong – but he might just get a soft lead moving up in trip here and I can’t bear the thought of him bouncing back at a big price if I haven’t had a little bit on.

Magnolia Handicap (10.10)

Cheval Valiant can set races alight by blitzing through the first 600m in a little over 33s but this chasing pack is rammed with interesting horses including last year’s Gimcrack fourth Chateau, reliable Pleasant Endeavour, impressive triallist Tomodachi Kokoroe and bang-in-form recent winners Flying High and Brilliant Life.

The presence of so many live contenders means it would be unwise to go at this handicap puzzle with maximum confidence but RED ELEGANCE, representing that Purton/Richards pairing, is interesting. Yes, Zac will have to put up overweight but this three-year-old zipped clear of a subsequent winner on his debut, recording an impressive 22.26s closing split, and he looks a key player in a hot race.

Tulip Handicap (10.45)

Several Euro imports on deck here, headed by Prix Morny runner-up Viva Chaleur (formerly Trident for Andre Fabre), Ivy League (useful for Aidan O’Brien) and James Fanshawe’s Newmarket winner Endeared.

However, all three seem to be taking time to adapt to the demands of HK racing and old rivals Mighty Stride and Hyper Dragon Ball are surely the pair to focus on. Hyper Dragon Ball is on the up after a decisive course and distance success but he’s already come up against Mighty Stride once and the outcome was a decisive success for Ricky Yiu’s gelding.

A flashy, muscular chestnut who weighs in at a hefty 1312lb, Mighty Stride travelled strongly throughout under Hugh Bowman that day and only needed a couple of taps to settle matters. He’s just 1lb worse off with old rival Hyper Dragon Ball and, fresh from a cosy recent trial success, he looks to have a great deal in his favour again from the inside draw.

Sunday’s Sha Tin Selections

8.35: Golden Express/Adios and Quinella combining 7, 5 and 8.

9.35: Sword Point/Straight Arron/Five G Patch

10.10: Red Elegance

10.45: Mighty Stride

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