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

Prince Alex
1.05 Happy Valley
2pts win

Perfect General
2.10 Happy Valley
2pts win

Simply Maverick
3.15 Happy Valley
2pts win

Hugh Bowman has a 50 per cent strike-rate aboard horses trained by Caspar Fownes and that impressive statistic can be maintained when they combine with promising Perfect General in the second division of the Class 4 6f handicap (2.10) at Happy Valley. 

Bowman has won eight races from 16 rides for Fownes this season, which is outstanding, especially as the Australian’s total is 15 winners, placing him second in the jockeys’ championship, eight behind runaway leader Zac Purton. 

Perfect General, a Zoustar four-year-old, was bought at the 2024 Hong Kong International Sale for the equivalent of around £320,000, almost double the amount paid when he went through the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sales ring. 

Clearly he has progressed in his new environment, with Fownes saddling him to win over course and distance last month on only his second start. He has gone up 7lb in the ratings, but further improvement can be anticipated from the gelding. 

The main opposition should come from the Mark Newnham-trained Spicy Gold, who is looking to complete a hat-trick in this grade. He is progressive, while Purton’s mount Storming Dragon is still a maiden after five starts yet he has never finished out of the first four and appears to be on a handy mark. 

Andrea Atzeni is joint-sixth in the standings with four wins but is steadily creeping higher up the ladder, and the Ricky Yiu-trained Simply Maverick should give him another boost by taking the Class 3 handicap (3.15) over 1m½f. 

Simply Maverick has always been well regarded by his trainer, having contested a leg of the Four-Year-Old Triple Crown last season. But he consistently runs his best races at the tight city track and has won three times over a mile. From an inside draw (stall two), he is preferred to Chain Of Gold. 

The Douglas Whyte-trained Prince Alex is another still looking for his maiden victory locally, which may come in the Class 4 handicap (1.05) over 1m½f with Harry Bentley in the plate. The Whyte-Bentley combination is always worth closer examination. 

Prince Alex won two races for Archie Alexander, including one at the Melbourne metro track Sandown. The six-year-old was also placed in Listed company prior to export, so he has ability. He has now dropped down far enough in the handicap to be effective, as his second on his last start indicated.

Happy Valley Placepot perm

1.05
8 Foremost Teddy
11 Prince Alex

1.40
6 Glory Cloud
11 Shinkansen

2.10
2 Perfect General
3 Spicy Gold

2.45
3 Prawns Eleven
6 Healthy Healthy

3.15
2 Simply Maverick
4 Chain Of Gold

3.50
5 Kyrus Dragon
7 Sweet Briar

2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into Hong Kong pools with the Tote. The first race at Happy Valley on Wednesday is at 12.05pm.

Happy Valley card

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