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Grouper
12.10 Sha Tin
2pts win
Superb Spirit
1.45 Sha Tin
2pts win
Sugar Goodson
2.20 Sha Tin
2pts win
Danny Shum is not conceding defeat in the trainers’ championship though with only four meetings left in the Hong Kong season, the man who so brilliantly managed Romantic Warrior’s global career knows he needs luck on his side.
Trailblazing Caspar Fownes, aiming for his fifth title, has set up a lead of five wins over Shum, who is looking for his first — the scorecard reads 66-61 — but there may be a twist in the story if the lightly raced Sugar Goodson lives up to his reputation and wins Saturday’s finale at Sha Tin, the Class 3 7f handicap (2.20).
Sugar Goodson comes from an unusual source — the jumping stronghold of Gordon Elliott — but even more notably, when the Irish three-year-old won his maiden at Navan at 33-1 last October, he defeated favourite James J Braddock by half a length.
It is now history how the Joseph O’Brien-trained James J Braddock went on to win the Derby Trial at Leopardstown and finish third to Christmas Day in the Derby at Epsom, while Sugar Goodson took a more circuitous route to the Far East, finishing up with Shum at Sha Tin.
No conclusions can be reached on how far Sugar Goodson has progressed in his new environment as he was blocked and could not get a clear crack at the leaders in his only local run, over 6f, on June 10. Early markets indicate, however, he is well-fancied here.
Being by Sea The Moon out of a Frankel mare, he has the profile of a Hong Kong Derby horse for next season but he may still prove capable of getting off the mark against a decent field of contenders headed by the John Size-trained Endeared, who will be running on.
Shum also has an excellent winning chance with the lightly raced Grouper in the Class 4 6f handicap (12.10). The Australian import has been knocking on the door with two second places from four starts and should go close with Zac Purton aboard.
Fownes will send out eight runners on Saturday’s card, while Shum saddles four and Mark Newnham, who is one win behind Shum, will be represented by six runners. The meeting is crucial to the outcome of the championship.
Francis Lui, who knows well the tensions of being involved in a title battle, can also get among the winners with the promising Superb Spirit, who attempts to make it three course-and-distance successes in a row when contesting the Class 3 6f handicap (1.45) with Purton in the saddle.
Sha Tin Placepot perm
11.40
6 Bright Mortar
7 Bustling City
12.10
4 A Time For Us
6 Grouper
12.40
6 Victor Supreme
14 Kingly Demeanor
1.10
3 Lucrative Eight
5 Leading Dragon
1.45
6 Superb Spirit
12 Spicy Standard
2.20
5 Endeared
10 Sugar Goodson
2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 lines
Bets can be placed into Hong Kong pools with the Tote. The first race at Sha Tin on Saturday is at 9am
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