Happy Valley racing preview & best bets | Wednesday, March 22
| What | Happy Valley Races |
| Where | Happy Valley Racecourse – Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |
| When | Wednesday, March 22, 2023 |
| First Race | 6:45pm HKT (9:45pm AEDT) |
After a massive day of racing out of Sha Tin on Sunday afternoon, we now look to Happy Valley on Wednesday night for a very competitive nine-race program commencing at 6:45pm local time. The rail sits in the C+3 position, which traditionally means you’ll be wanting to have runners up on speed throughout the card. We should have perfect conditions as well, with a Good to Firm surface for the meeting.
Best Bet at Happy Valley: Righteous Arion
Righteous Arion is unfortunate to only have the one win to his name, but we think that can all change on Wednesday night. He was beaten a lip last start behind Snowalot on March 1 at this course and distance when powering home late. You can argue he threw the race away when rolling out slightly to the middle of the track as Snowlot got up his inside to score. Nonetheless, it was still heartening to see him run into second for his fourth minor placing of the campaign. He’s a consistent type and doesn’t know how to run a bad race. He’s drawn barrier two to get perfect mid-field sit with cover throughout this 1200m journey, and with this being a moderate Class 4 contest, we think he’s clearly the one to beat.
Best Bet
Race 2 – 
#2 Righteous Arion (2)
3yo Gelding | T: Tony Cruz | J: Vincent Ho (61kg)
Next Best at Happy Valley: Flying Silver
It’s very hard to be against Flying Silver in the fourth race of the program. He’s simply a new horse this preparation as trainer Danny Shum has unlocked the best of this four-year-old Gleneagles gelding. He’s won three of his last four starts, with two of them coming at this course and distance. They’ve been dominant wins as well, with the latest being a ride-of-the-night contender from Hugh Bowman on February 8, expertly weaving a passage on the inside between gallopers to score a comprehensive win. He now must lug the top weight of 61kg in Class 4, but that doesn’t bother us at all. He’s a line-chaser at the moment and we’re happy to continue being with him until we’re given a reason to be against. It’s a tricky barrier to overcome for Bowman, but the same could’ve been said last start, so we’ll leave it to him to find a spot for Flying Silver before producing his electric best.
Next Best
Race 4 – 
#1 Flying Silver (8)
4yo Gelding | T: Danny Shum | J: Hugh Bowman (61kg)
Next Best Again at Happy Valley: Gorgeous Vitality
It’s hard to believe Gorgeous Vitality hasn’t seen 1200m in his 11 career starts in Hong Kong; however, we think this is a good place to step up in trip. He’s had nine starts at Happy Valley over the 1000m journey and is always consistent, with two wins and another three minor placings to his name. That includes his latest effort behind Atomic Force on March 1. He missed the start significantly and was near last around the turn on that occasion, which is very rare for this son of Deep Field. But he stormed down the middle of the track late in a strong indicator that now the 1200m should be ideal. He’s well weighted with the 57.5kg on his back as Vincent Ho sticks after his latest run, and from barrier three he should be better than mid-field turning for home. If he is, Ho could be chalking up a double for us by this stage of the evening.
Next Best Again
Race 7 – 
#5 Gorgeous Vitality (3)
4yo Gelding | T: Frankie Lor | J: Vincent Ho (57.5kg)
Best Value at Happy Valley: Eason
Eason appears in the final race on the program and steps back into Class 3 company at Happy Valley for the first time since May of last year. That also happens to be the last time Eason found the winner’s enclosure. He’s been competitive in Class 2 since, but tricky barriers and races not being run to suit have meant he hasn’t been able to produce his best. He’s a genuine Happy Valley horse with two of his three wins coming at this course and distance, along with a strong record that reads 6:2-2-0. From barrier one, Hong Kong Derby-winning jockey Alexis Badel has plenty of options and can either lead or elect to sit on their backs. Regardless of what he chooses to do, we think he’s classy in this field and should be getting a nice price with online bookmakers when markets open.
Best Value
Race 9 – 
#1 Eason (1)
4yo Gelding | T: Frankie Lor | J: Alexis Badel (61kg)
HK quaddie tips for Happy Valley races
Happy Valley quadrella selections
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
- 1-2-3-7
- 2-3-5-6
- 2-3-4-7
- 1-2-5-10-11
Investment: $320 for 100%