Sunday's Hong Kong (Sha Tin) form analysis

Kings Shield has dubai in sight

Kings Shield is arguably Hong Kong's classiest dirt horse. He is hoping to take tomorrow's Race 3 over 1,650m to earn a ticket to the Dubai World Cup Carnival in late March.
Kings Shield is arguably Hong Kong's classiest dirt horse. He is hoping to take tomorrow's Race 3 over 1,650m to earn a ticket to the Dubai World Cup Carnival in late March. PHOTO: HKJC

RACE 1 (1,600M)

5 Shanghai Dragon narrowly missed two starts ago, before struggling at Happy Valley in his latest outing. He can return to form switching to Sha Tin from the city circuit. With even luck, he is the one to beat.

1 Daily Charm is looking for back-to-back wins in this grade. He will lug top weight but is getting champion jockey Zac Purton to offset the rise in weight.

7 Tailor Made has been knocking on the door and should get every chance to be hanging around at the finish.

2 Circuit Number One mixes his form, but he should be around the mark again.

RACE 2 (1,400M)

1 Super Ten is looking for back-to-back wins. He remains in the suitable grade. Although he has been allotted top weight, he gets apprentice jockey Jerry Chau's 7lb (4.54kg) claim to offset this minor hindrance.

4 Land Power has shown significant improvement across three starts.

13 Sun Of Makfi is winless. He is progressing well and gets his chance with no weight on his back.

10 Sam's Love is next best as a two-time winner in this grade.

RACE 3 (1,650M)

1 Kings Shield is arguably Hong Kong's classiest dirt horse. He would want to be winning this with a view to travelling to Dubai for the 2021 Dubai World Cup Carnival. He can roll forward and play catch me if you can.

2 Elusive State is getting on with age, but he is still one of the top dirt horses. He is another with overseas aspirations who will need to run well to warrant consideration.

3 Glorious Artist is looking for a hat-trick of wins. This is a big step-up, but he is racing well enough to warrant respect.

4 Red Desert is next best.

RACE 4 (1,650M)

1 Red Elysees can roll forward from Gate 1 and prove difficult to run down. He is drawn to find the front and the booking of Joao Moreira warrants respect.

8 So Awesome is nearing a first win. He caught the eye in a recent barrier trial on the dirt and commands respect as he readies for his first race on the surface.

4 Double Take is looking for back-to-back wins. He is racing well and just needs to overcome the wide draw to be competitive.

10 King's Race has no weight and could score any time.

RACE 5 (1,200M)

3 Super Red Dragon won two on the bounce before finishing fifth on the dirt last start. He switches back to the turf, which is suitable. He has found a very winnable race.

8 Touch Faith steps out on debut off the back of an eye-catching trial at Conghua. He appears forward enough to win and gets Moreira up from Gate 3.

13 Run The Table gets in light and has place claims.

10 Little Player is on the up and bears close watching.

RACE 6 (1,200M)

12 Voyage Star rates strongly with his front-running style. He should roll forward from Gate 2 and prove difficult to reel in.

10 Young Victory is better than his record suggests. He has shown glimpses of form at the trials. He is worth a chance for value.

1 Everyone's Delight has the class edge and gets the blinkers for the first time to sharpen him up.

3 Judy's Star is next best.

RACE 7 (1,000M)

3 Valiant Dream is somewhat of a perennial place-getter. He is doing enough to suggest that a win will fall his way soon. Purton hops up and this contest is suitable.

13 Carroll Street won well on debut. He is stepping into Class 3 but looks to still have plenty of rating points in hand.

14 Forte finished second to Carroll Street and follows him up to Class 3. He is also on the up and gets a handy weight relief on his rivals.

5 War Of Courage is better than his recent record suggests. With the right run, he can turn his form around.

RACE 8 (1,650M)

5 Foodie Princess is a force to be reckoned with on the dirt. He has three wins on the surface from his last four starts. He has trialled impressively and is the one to beat.

10 Biz Power clocked a brilliant runner-up effort on the dirt over 1,200m last start. He is worth including. The only query is the added distance.

12 Party Everyday does not know how to run a bad race. He has nine top-three efforts from his last nine starts, including three wins. It is just a question of how far back he plans to settle in the run.

9 Ping Hai Treasure is next best.

RACE 9 (1,000M)

5 Wellington is a supreme talent with four wins from five starts. He can continue his remarkable ascent. While it looks a competitive race, he stands out as the one to beat.

8 Multimillion is consistent and owns a slick 55.23sec personal best over the course and distance. The main danger.

2 Classic Unicorn is a classy performer down the straight. He commands respect.

4 Beauty Applause rarely runs a bad race.

RACE 10 (1,400M)

10 The Hulk gets a handy 7lb claim from apprentice jockey Alfred Chan, who should be able to roll forward from the middle draw.

8 Ka Ying Excellent is as a solid as they come. Moreira retains the ride and he commands respect.

11 My Sugar is looking for back-to-back wins. He crushed his rivals by four lengths last start. On that effort, he gives the impression that he will be able to handle the class rise.

14 Romantic Combo can figure with no weight on his back.


  • Comments courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 16, 2021, with the headline Kings Shield has dubai in sight. Subscribe