Hong Kong Wednesday morning: Picks, analysis, PPs

Hong Kong racing is at Happy Valley Wednesday morning starting at 7:05 a.m. EDT. Free PPs are available at Horse Racing Nation. For more free handicapping information, visit the Hong Kong Jockey Club website.

Race 1: 1 Super Charizzard, 2 Lucky Blessing, 9 Talents Supremo, 4 Dan Attack

Race 2: 7 Cool Blue, 1 Wah May Wai Wai, 4 Foremost Teddy, 9 Yeaboi

Race 3: 5 Plentiful, 9 Harmony Fire, 2 Moon Rocket, 3 Super Sixty

Race 4: 5 Mighty Steed, 1 Good Luck Babe, 8 The Auspicious, 3 Take Action

Race 5: 9 Wrote A New Page, 2 Highland Rahy, 1 Embraces, 10 Casa Rochester

Race 6: 5 Super Unicorn, 1 Quantum Patch, 4 Amazing Run, 6 Chain Of Gold

Race 7: 6 Great Spirit, 1 Charming Babe, 2 Bienvenue, 4 Denfield

Race 8: 10 King Of Fighters, 3 Sovereign Fund, 9 Victor The Rapid, 1 Dragon Four Seas

Race 1, Admiralty Handicap

No. 1 Super Charizzard drops back into Class 5, where both his career wins have come, and he reunites with Zac Purton, who was aboard for his last victory. That combination puts him in good stead to resume with a win. No. 2 Lucky Blessing has switched to the Cody Mo stable and starts the season in Class 5 for the first time. From post 1, his on-pace style should be well suited. No. 9 Talents Supremo is another stable switcher now with Danny Shum, who applies blinkers for the first time. No. 4 Dan Attack finished an encouraging third in his first run for Douglas Whyte to cap last season and looks on the verge of a breakthrough in this grade.

Race 2, Kowloon Tong Handicap

No. 7 Cool Blue turned things around after transferring to Chris So’s yard, breaking through two runs back and backing that up with a fast-finishing third. No. 1 Wah May Wai Wai gets plenty in his favor on the downgrade, drawing post 3 and securing Zac Purton for the ride. He looks close to shedding his local maiden tag. No. 4 Foremost Teddy ended last season with a narrow defeat and remains in the mix on that form. No. 9 Yeaboi ran a close second first-up in this race last season under Matthew Poon, who is back aboard, and that combination can surprise again.

Race 3, North Point Handicap

No. 5 Plentiful returns with two trials under his belt and looks ready to fire. He makes his own luck up on the pace and post 2 aids that equation. No. 9 Harmony Fire slid down the ratings last term but closed the season with a close second and has trialled well. He looks ready to bounce back after a long run of outs. No. 2 Moon Rocket won well second-up last campaign but disappointed in two runs that followed. He resumes with first-time blinkers and has trialled well in them. No. 3 Super Sixty is well placed from post 3 and the Ellis Wong–Caspar Fownes combination was a reliable one last season, so keep him in the numbers.

Race 4, Kwun Tong Handicap

No. 5 Mighty Steed remains winless in Hong Kong but showed he's close with a runner-up finish last start. His recent all-the-way trial win was sharp, and from post 3, Vincent Ho can get the job done. No. 1 Good Luck Babe returns to Class 4 where he scored a dominant front-running win five starts back over the Sha Tin mile. He won’t face much early pressure here and looks a good chance to dictate. No. 8 The Auspicious is untested at Happy Valley but maps for a soft run stalking the speed from post 1 and will be finishing off strongly. No. 3 Take Action can settle closer from gate 2 and stays in the mix off a consistent patch of form.

Race 5, Central Handicap

No. 9 Wrote A New Page resumes looking to land a hat trick after back-to-back successes at the end of last season. He steps up to Class 3 for the first time but shapes as a rising talent who can carry on with it. No. 2 Highland Rahy was a strong winner under Zac Purton last start and maps to find the front easily from post 1. He’ll take plenty of catching if allowed to dictate. No. 1 Embraces was a stable-change success last season for Cody Mo and will be running on late from off the pace. No. 10 Casa Rochester pulled up with excuses last start when trailing off as favorite. Best to overlook that run and give him another chance.

Race 6, Kwun Tong Handicap, div 2

No. 5 Super Unicorn gets an eye-catching jockey booking with Zac Purton back in the saddle, having last partnered him early last season in three runs, including his dominant course and distance win. No. 1 Quantum Patch is ready to go first-up with two trials under his belt and, off a narrow second two starts back in this grade, is a strong chance to win in the grade soon. No. 4 Amazing Run ended last season in top form with back-to-back course and distance wins. He’s hard to fault still in Class 4, though the map from gate 10 is a challenge. No. 6 Chain Of Gold should present value on his third attempt in Class 4, having edged close to another win late last season.

Race 7, Quarry Bay Handicap

No. 6 Great Spirit won first-up last season and is well placed to repeat the feat, resuming off a good-looking trial and drawing ideally in post 3. No. 1 Charming Babe dropped back to Class 4 last start and was a close third. His recent trial was sharp and from the inside gate, he maps for every chance. No. 2 Bienvenue adapted well to this course and distance late season, breaking his maiden and placing twice from four starts. Zac Purton sticks and his trial was full of promise, though post 12 does him no favors. No. 4 Denfield is now rated below his last winning mark. He resumes for his third run back in Class 4 and, while his trial was quiet, he looked well.

Race 8, Wan Chai Handicap

No. 10 King Of Fighters is still chasing his maiden win after 12 starts across Australia and Hong Kong. He resumes with blinkers on, has trialed well in the gear, and draws favorably to give this a shake. No. 3 Sovereign Fund came to hand late last term, winning two from five and placing in the other three. From post 1, he maps to get every chance and looks a key player. No. 9 Victor The Rapid proved a positive stable switch to Pierre Ng, winning third-up and closing the season with a close third back in Class 3. No. 1 Dragon Four Seas notched five wins last season in a breakout prep. He’s trialled soundly but the wide draw poses a test.

Luke Middlebrook is a contributor at Idol Horse. After catching the Hong Kong racing bug, Luke spent several years blogging about the sport before relocating to Singapore in 2016. There, he spent eight years as the resident expert at iRace Media, overseeing all form-related and editorial content for horse racing in Hong Kong and Singapore.

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