Wednesday’s Happy Valley tips & quaddie picks | 21/12/2022
| What | Happy Valley Races |
| Where | Happy Valley Racecourse – Wong Nai Chung Rd, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |
| When | Wednesday, December 21, 2022 |
| First Race | 6:45pm HKT (9:45pm AEDT) |
Hong Kong racing continues on Wednesday night with a nine-race program set down for decision at Happy Valley. Zac Purton and Silvestre de Sousa both rode a treble last week and will be looking to produce something similar as both have a strong book of rides. We’re racing on the C Course this time, and while we’re expecting a Good 4 track, there is some rain forecast in the lead up, so we could possibly get a downgrade at some stage. Racing is set to get underway at 6:45pm HKT (9:45pm AEDT).
Best Bet: Howdeepisyourlove
Zac Purton and John Size combine in race seven with the very progressive three-year-old Howdeepisyourlove, who looks very hard to beat in this 1200m Class 4 contest. He’s third-up now in Hong Kong and with two very strong performances under his belt at Happy Valley and seems ready to peak after a total forgive last time out on IJC night on December 7 behind Gold Gold Baby. He drew barrier eight on that occasion and was forced back into the ruck before finally seeing daylight when the race was all over to go down by 4.3 lengths. Ryan Moore was smart with his ride, essentially pulling up this son of Deep Field before only asking for a minor effort which saw Howdeepisyourlove hit the line powerfully and with plenty still left in the tank. Zac Purton takes the reins now and from barrier one should get a perfect run in transit.
Best Bet
Race 7 – 
#5 Howdeepisyourlove (1)
3yo Gelding | T: John Size | J: Zac Purton (58.5kg)
Next Best: Faribault
Faribault looks to have held his form under new trainer Pierre Ng after two starts this preparation and looks like another Zac Purton mount not far away from a win. His run last start behind Handsome Rebel on December 7 was enormous, getting way too far back before powering to the line down the middle of the track to only be beaten 0.8 lengths. From barrier three and with the ultimate gear change of Purton aboard, this looks like the best opportunity for Faribault to notch his second career win. Look for Purton to rev him up from the perfect draw to sit in behind the obvious leader on paper, Circuit Seven, before peeling off his back to let this son of Zoustar find his turn of foot.
Next Best
Race 5 – 
#9 Faribault (3)
5yo Gelding | T: Pierre Ng | J: Zac Purton (56.5kg)
Another Next Best: Leslie
Leslie will be looking to find back-to-back wins, after a dominant performance in Class 4 last start on November 16. He found a midfield sit that night from a similar barrier and was simply too strong for that company, running quick time while saluting by 2.3 lengths. It was a stylish display and the only query on this gelding by Shooting To Win is if he’s ready to jump up into Class 3 company. He gets 5.5kg off for the step up in class, so he’s in well at the weights considering his peak performance last time out. While this is a tougher task, we’re happy to side with him as he looks to get an identical run from barrier seven and Derek Leung elects to stick after taking the reins in that victory. We should be getting a nice price with online bookmakers, so he’s worth a chance in a competitive field.
Next Best Again
Race 8 – 
#9 Leslie (7)
4yo Gelding | T: Ricky Yiu | J: Derek Leung (54kg)
Best Value: Millennium Falcon
We should be looking at an each-way quote here for this six-year-old gelding by Charm Spirit, and that makes him a cracking bet. Millennium Falcon comes here off the back of a strong performance at Sha Tin on November 27 when running into the minor money behind Super Red Dragon and One Voice. He got every opportunity to win on that occasion, but One Voice and Ching (who finished behind Millennium Falcon) look serious types moving forward. You’d have to believe those two runners would be well in the market in this company, so we’re thinking Millennium Falcon could sneak under the radar when markets open. Hugh Bowman sticks here and should be looking to find the backs of the leaders from an ideal barrier draw before trying to pinch a break on his rivals. If he can, he’ll give us a sight and take some chasing down.
Best Value
Race 6 – 
#4 Millennium Falcon (1)
6yo Gelding | T: Benno Yung | J: Hugh Bowman (60.5kg)
HK quaddie tips for Happy Valley – December 21, 2022
Happy Valley quadrella selections
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
- 1-3-4-7
- 1-3-5-12
- 2-3-8-9
- 1-2-3-11
Investment: $256 for 100%