| What | Happy Valley Races |
| Where | Happy Valley Racecourse – Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |
| When | Wednesday, January 18, 2023 |
| First Race | 7:15pm HKT (10:15pm AEDT) |
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Visit Ladbrokes |
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Hong Kong racing heads back to the city circuit on Wednesday night for a strong eight-race program out of Happy Valley Racecourse. It was a very tricky card at Sha Tin on Sunday with plenty of value runners saluting and this Happy Valley card looks just as interesting to dissect.
We should have a good to firm surface for Wednesday night although there is a chance of some showers throughout the evening. The rail is in the C position the entire circuit so we’ll be looking for gallopers suited to be up on the speed as it can favour gallopers up on the pace.
The first race is set to get underway at 7:15pm HKT (10:15pm AEDT)
Best Bet at Happy Valley: Star Contact
Zac Purton always has a cracking book of rides and we’ve found him on top often on this Happy Valley program – however – we think the best of them is Star Contact. This four-year-old has been consistent this preparation and always seems to run boldly at Happy Valley in particular with his last two efforts really catching the eye. Two back he was last turning from home from a wide gate storming home into fourth on December 7, then ran into second on December 28 when sitting on a hot tempo, holding on to be beaten on the line by a lip by Perfect To Great. Purton takes the reins again from his best draw this preparation, barrier seven, with top jock Zac Purton likely to find the one-by-one throughout proceedings. Star Contact should be right in the finish here and get a well-deserved second career win.
Best Bet
Race 6 – 
#4 Star Contact (7)
4yo Gelding | T: David Hayes | J: Zac Purton (60kg)
Top Odds with Bet365
Next Best at Happy Valley: Rattan Kingdom
Rattan Kingdom is looking for three wins on the trot since breaking his maiden status two starts back and we think he can win again here in Class 4 company. This son of Per Incanto continues to improve with every run under his in form trainer Jamie Richards who is really beginning to find his feet in Hong Kong. Both his wins had plenty of merit and ran very solid time for the Class with significant margins to boot. While other gallopers like Sugar Sugar and Mr Fun have serious claims here, we’re happy to stick with Rattan Kingdom who has the versatility to be winning again. Purton gets a prime gate again here from barrier five and can just slot in behind the speed before proving too good again on this five-year-old gelding. He started $1.30 last time and we’re confident you’ll be getting a much better price this time with online bookmakers when markets open.
Next Best
Race 5 – 
#2 Rattan Kingdom (5)
4yo Gelding | T: Jamie Richards | J: Zac Purton (61kg)
Bet with Ladbrokes
Next Best Again at Happy Valley: Zone D
We’ll be looking for a Zac Purton treble on Wednesday night as Zone D looks another great bet on this Happy Valley program. The penultimate looks a competitive race and while Zone D’s form doesn’t jump off the page, you’ll want to be forgiving of his last start effort on November 23 behind Exceptional Nice. He sadly pulled up with blood in the trachea in the post-race assessment by vets and has been forced to the trials since that incident. Both efforts on the all-weather surface were excellent and seems to have come through his ailment presenting in good order for Wednesday night. Zac Purton rode him last start and in one of the two trials suggesting he’s felt well enough and if it’s good enough for Hong Kong’s best, it’s good enough for us. He’ll be back in the field but has an amazing turn-of-foot, so look for this guy to be flying home late to salute.
Next Best Again
Race 7 – 
#3 Zone D (2)
6yo Gelding | T: John Size | J: Zac Purton (60kg)
Bet with Unibet
Best Value at Happy Valley: Robot Warrior
We’ll be looking for Robot Warrior to turn the tables on likely race favourite Bright Kid on Wednesday night in this 2200m class 4 contest for the stayers. Robot Warrior has had zero luck drawing a gate as of late and after getting barrier 14 at Sha Tin he now gets to find a much more suitable run in transit drawn barrier six. Bright Kid now draws barrier 10 and gets a 3kg penalty from his win on December 24, so we think Robot Warrior can flip the script up to the 2200m. The Ricky Yiu-trained gelding out of Sepoy finds himself in Class 4 for just the second time now, and we think with some nice runs at Happy Valley under his belt, he just needs some luck to be winning on Wednesday night.
Best Value
Race 3 – 
#3 Robot Warrior (6)
7yo Gelding | T: Ricky Yiu | J: Vincent Ho (61kg)
Bet with Neds
Wednesday quaddie tips for Happy Valley
Happy Valley quadrella selections
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
- 1-2-6-7
- 1-3-4-8
- 13-9-19
- 1-2-4-5
Investment: $256 for 100%
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