David Hall hopes Atullibigeal (Street Boss) can add further lustre to his stable’s strong season with victory in the HK$2.84 million Class 2 Hong Kong Reunification Cup Handicap (1400m) at Sha Tin on Monday.
With 41 wins, Hall is only three victories short of matching his career-best haul of 44 wins in a Hong Kong season after a campaign crowned by Invincible Sage’s Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) triumph in April.
Atullibigeal, a Listed in New Zealand, has delivered two of Hall’s wins this season in a 12-start campaign which has seen the five-year-old earn prize money in 11 appearances – and also suffer two short-head defeats.
“He (Atullibigeal) is a very honest and consistent horse and he’s had a good season. These sort of races, the ratings sort of favour the lighter-weighted horses so it might be a little bit tougher for him with the handicap but he’s very honest,” Hall said.
“He turns up all the time and if it’s a genuinely run race, he’ll be running on strongly.”
To be ridden by Hugh Bowman from barrier four, Atullibigeal (135lb) faces eight rivals – Flaming Rabbit (133lb), Tomodachi Kokoroe (129lb), Wonder Kit (126lb), Supreme Lucky (125lb), Keefy (123lb), Superb Boy (122lb), Chiu Chow Spirit (118lb) and Gorgeous Win (118lb).
