Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath with three selections at Happy Valley on Thursday

Beauty Waves
12.10 Happy Valley
 2pts win

Grand Nova
12.40 Happy Valley
2pts win

Sturdy Ruby
1.40 Happy Valley
2pts win

Trainers’ championship leader Pierre Ng will be relying on lightly raced Beauty Waves to help fight off the chasing pack by winning the Class 2 5f handicap (12.10) at Happy Valley on a nine-race card.

Ng is clinging to a two-win lead over Francis Lui with four meetings remaining and Ng’s seven runners appear to have better prospects overall if the early betting market is any guide. But the battle is intense and has the makings of a cliffhanger.

Beauty Waves won a 5f juvenile maiden at Dundalk for Pat Flynn in October 2022 and although arriving in Hong Kong three months later, he didn't make his local debut until October last year when finishing fifth in a sprint handicap at Sha Tin.

The lengthy spell on the sidelines did him no harm as he has not been out of the first three in his last seven starts, winning two of his last three, which has earned him a crack at a higher grade. He should take it in his stride.

Drawn in stall two, he is tipped to be on the speed all the way and land a valuable win for his trainer. Jockey Karis Teetan can count himself lucky to have the Beauty Waves mount as Zac Purton, who has ridden the gelding in seven of his eight starts, misses out because of a one-day riding ban.

Douglas Whyte, who formerly trained Beauty Waves, provides the danger in Majestic Knight, twice a course-and-distance winner this season. Lui saddles Baby Crystal, who is having only his second start at the tight city track.

While Purton holds an unbeatable lead in the jockeys’ championship, second-placed Teetan (who is 40 wins adrift) has had a fine season too, and as well as Beauty Waves, he can look forward to the Manfred Man-trained Sturdy Ruby in the Class 4 1m½f handicap (1.40).

Sturdy Ruby is still a maiden after 15 starts but is racing well enough and still running off an attractive mark. His last start second indicated he can go one better, with the Ng-trained Dragon Star as his main threat.

Earlier, Hugh Bowman and John Size are set to combine for a win with the capable Grand Nova in the Class 4 5f handicap (12.40). The three-year-old son of Vancouver made up enormous ground for second last time and is close to a win.

Happy Valley Placepot perm

1.10
3 Aurora Lady
4 Golden Rise

1.40
2 Dragon Star
8 Sturdy Ruby

2.10
2 Serangoon
3 Joy Of Spring

2.45
1 Flying Wrote
10 Travel Golf

3.15
2 Zoom Boom
7 Aestheticism

3.50
4 California Touch
7 Healthy Healthy

2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into Hong Kong pools with the Tote. The first race at Happy Valley on Thursday is at 11.40am

Happy Valley card

Sign up to the Tote here. New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G50 on registration. £/€10 minimum qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if each-way then minimum £10 win + £/€10 place). Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€20 free sports bet and 50 free spins on  Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Seven-day expiry on free bets and Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org. Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.