Wong can crack the Code to Dance to another victory
HONG Kong racing is back at Sha Tin on Saturday for an 11-race card, featuring the £284,000 Class Two Philip Chen Trophy (1.40pm) over six furlongs.
With 11 contenders lining-up in the main event having won 48 races between them, expect a blistering early pace, and especially with the likes of Lady’s Choice, Harmony N Blessed and Call Me Glorious desperate to dictate from the front.
With so little to choose between the majority of the field, finding the winner will be like putting your hand into a bagful of Pic n’ Mix to find your favourite sweet.
The likes of Zac Purton’s mount Masterofmyuniverse, and highly regarded Colourful King, will be popular with bettors, while smart old campaigner Harmony N Blessed continues to belie his years, and has drawn the favoured gate in stall one.
In such an open-looking contest, it may prove best to have a couple of stabs at finding the winner, starting with DANCING CODE from the Caspar Fownes stable, who is ridden by current ‘golden boy’ five-pound claimer Ellis Wong.
The six-year-old has run consistently all season, mostly over seven furlongs, but produced a notable effort over the course and distance back in May, when one-and-a-half lengths sixth to Lady’s Choice, and is now 12 pounds better off when taking Wong’s five-pound claim into account.
On that occasion he produced the fastest closing sectionals in the contest, despite running into trouble in the closing stages.
Provided there is a fast gallop from the off, he is going to be hard to keep out of the frame, and has a good chance of surprising better-fancied rivals.
Bottom-weight AERIS NOVA is another worth supporting, following an impressive win over the track and trip last month.
Having suffered a wide and tough journey throughout, he still managed to run away from his rivals in the closing stages, and in a fast time too.
Despite stepping up in class, he now carries 10 pounds less in the saddle, and is worth chancing at probable double-figure odds.
POINTERS
Dancing Code 1.40pm Sha Tin
Aeris Nova 1.40pm Sha Tin