What | Happy Valley Races |
Where | Happy Valley Racecourse – Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |
When | Wednesday, April 12, 2023 |
First Race | 6:45pm HKT (8:45pm AEST) |
Visit Ladbrokes |
We’re back racing under lights on the city circuit as Happy Valley hosts an intriguing nine-race program on Wednesday night. We’re racing on the B course, and with perfect conditions leading into the card, the track should play relatively well. The first race is scheduled to get us underway at 6:45pm HKT (8:45pm AEST).
Best Bet: Magniac
Magniac has had three impressive performances since arriving in Hong Kong from Western Australia, and we think can finally find the winner’s enclosure on Wednesday night. Since his Hong Kong debut performance behind Beauty Eternal, this three-year-old gelding has had two dreadful barriers to contend with. He still had the audacity to fight to the line second-up behind Goko Win on February 19, and then again on March 19 to finish fifth behind Supreme Lucky. Both of those gallopers look to be progressive types, and Magniac looks no different. This time drawn in barrier four under Zac Purton, look for Magniac to get a much softer time up on speed before kicking clear of his rivals to score a much-deserved win in the Happy Valley finale.
Best Bet
Race 9 – #8 Magniac (4)
3yo Gelding | T: Jamie Richards | J: Zac Purton (56kg)
Bet with Bet365
Next Best: Natural Storm
Natural Storm has been a model of consistency in Hong Kong and looks set to take out his fifth career win on Wednesday night. He’s been luckless from the barriers of late, and that was the case again at Sha Tin on March 19 against Escape Route – a rival in this race. He bombed the start from gate 12 and recovered in sensational fashion to finish fourth, 3.5 lengths off the eventual winner. He travelled wide throughout and had little chance to win. This time, with a 2kg swing in the weights and a much more suitable barrier, Natural Storm finds his best chance to chalk up a win since his last victory at this course and distance on December 21. If Karis Teetan can find a spot no worse than mid-field turning for home in this small field, this six-year-old gelding could be very hard to beat.
Next Best
Race 1 – #4 Natural Storm (3)
6yo Gelding | T: Ricky Yiu | Karis Teetan (57kg)
Bet with Palmerbet
Next Best Again: Rattan Kingdom
Rattan Kingdom will be looking to make the jump into Class 3 company for the first time and looks well placed by the Jamie Richards stable. This son of Per Incanto had been ultra-consistent over the 1200m at Happy Valley before heading to Sha Tin on March 19 over 1400m and didn’t miss a beat. Top Top Tea led them up at a moderate tempo and Rattan Kingdom loomed like the winner a long way out, just missing in the photo finish. Stepping up in trip to the 1650m at his favoured circuit looks ideal, and with plenty of speed in this one, it should suit Rattan Kingdom nicely. He gets in with the feather-light weight of 53.5kg under Karis Teetan and could easily find himself in the one-one stalking position. If he does that, he will be hard to hold out.
Next Best Again
Race 4 – #9 Rattan Kingdom (5)
5yo Gelding | T: Jamie Richards | J: Karis Teetan (53.5kg)
Bet with Neds
Best Value: Storm Legend
We might be crazy putting a 22-start Hong Kong maiden on top in the sixth race of the program, but we think Storm Legend is a terrific chance in the first leg of the quaddie. It’s a wide-open affair and we’re hoping for a good price with online bookmakers when markets open. He drops into Class 4 company and should finally get his opportunity after running into some stiff competition in Class 3. He ran 3.8 lengths off Nimble Nimbus on March 15 and jumped awkwardly on that occasion, spelling the end to his initial progress. This looks a much more manageable task for this gelding by Night Of Thunder, and with Alfred Chan dropping him down to 58.5kg in his Class 4 debut, it looks an amazing opportunity to break his Hong Kong maiden.
Best Value
Race 6 – #1 Storm Legend (4)
5yo Gelding | T: Caspar Fownes | J: Alfred Chan (a2.5kg) (61kg)
Bet with Unibet
Wednesday quaddie tips for Happy Valley races
Happy Valley quadrella selections
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
- 1-2-3-4-5-6-9
- 1-2-3-4-5
- 1-2-6-8-10-11
- 4-8
Investment: $360 for 100%
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