Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath with three selections at Sha Tin on Sunday

Ka Ying Victory
7.00 Sha Tin
2pts win

Talents Ambition
8.40 Sha Tin
2pts win

Fashion Legend
9.15 Sha Tin
2pts win 

There are only eight days to go before the Hong Kong International Races, and it’s time to get into the ‘Ka Ying’ zone with ten races on a mixed turf and dirt card at Sha Tin.

Back in the day, punters would be warned not to mix up horses with similar names, so in this instance, watch your Ka Yings because the nap on Sunday is the David Hall-trained Ka Ying Victory in the Class 3 5f handicap (7.00).

Not to be confused, of course, with his more famous namesake Ka Ying Rising, a budding champion who is trained by David Hayes and is the red-hot favourite to win the Hong Kong Sprint on December 8. Both horses carry the colours of the Ka Ying Syndicate.

Also of interest is that both horses were foaled in New Zealand, which these days produces as many sprinters as stayers. Ka Ying Victory might be living in the shadow of Ka Ying Rising, but he is no mug, having won four of his nine starts, and it appears he is ready to win again.

The four-year-old has not run since July, but Hall has prepared him for a good showing on his seasonal debut. He has done plenty of track gallops and also had two barrier trials. Significantly, Zac Purton was aboard in his most recent trial eight days ago, which is a positive pointer.

Drawn nine on the stands' side on the straight course, he should enjoy the run of the race throughout and is a confident selection to beat the Pierre Ng-trained Healthy Healthy, who backs up after winning at Happy Valley on Wednesday.

Hugh Bowman is favoured to come out on top in a couple of tussles with visiting ace James McDonald, and his mount Talents Ambition is selected to beat the McDonald-ridden Perfect Team in the Class 3 1m½f handicap (8.40).

Talents Ambition, unbeaten in two starts on country tracks in Australia, has a dirt pedigree and is a course-and-distance winner, as is Perfect Team, who also ran with credit in decent three-year-old races in Melbourne previously.

David Eustace can continue in the winning vein with the talented Fashion Legend in the Class 4 7f handicap (9.15).

The gelding’s claim to fame is that he was beaten into second in the Winx Guineas in Queensland by Knight’s Choice 16 months before the latter’s shock win in the Melbourne Cup.

Sha Tin Placepot

7.00
4 Ka Ying Victory
6 Healthy Healthy 

7.35
8 Reliable Profit
9 Jubilation 

8.05
7 Capital Delight
12 Sing Dragon 

8.40
4 Perfect Team
5 Talents Ambition 

9.15
4 Fashion Legend
12 Sunday’s Serenade 

9.50
3 My Wish
8 Geneva

2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into Hong Kong pools with the Tote. The first race at Sha Tin on Sunday is at 5.00am

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