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

Young Champion
8.10 Sha Tin
2pts win

Charming Legend
8.40 Sha Tin
2pts win

Swift Ascend
9.15 Sha Tin
2pts win

John Size is poised to grab his share of the limelight as Hong Kong’s big International raceday approaches by saddling the still untapped Young Champion to win the Class 2 mile handicap (8.10) at Sha Tin.

With impeccable timing, Size’s season is gathering momentum after a typically slow start and Young Champion can kick things along for the 12-time champion trainer by taking a trophy well within his capabilities on his Irish form.

When trained by Johnny Murtagh for the Aga Khan — he raced there as Sharlouk — he won his maiden at Leopardstown and was placed in a strong Listed race at Naas. He is 2-5 in Hong Kong, with his only serious failure coming in September when he was subsequently found to have blood in his trachea.

Drawn well in stall five, Karis Teetan should have Young Champion in a handy enough position throughout and he'll be hard to beat.

However, his main danger, the Danny Shum-trained Romantic Thor, another ex-Irish recruit, is also worth serious discussion.

Formerly known as Capulet, he won the Dee Stakes at Chester for Aidan O’Brien, having earlier finished third in the Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket. Shum has given him five barrier trials in the past nine weeks, so he should be ready for this local debut.

Mention of newcomers brings me to another Shum-trained import in Charming Legend, who won a trial at Conghua nine days ago and has been primed to win the Class 3 7f handicap (8.40).

The trial did not escape Zac Purton, who steps up for the mount. The gelding, who won two from two in the city for Sydney trainer Les Bridge, clearly has loads of ability and will be well suited to this assignment. His main threat Alsonso has drawn wide but should be finishing strongly late on.

David Eustace continues to make a favourable impression in his first months with a local licence and significantly he has called on James McDonald to partner Swift Ascend in the Class 3 6f handicap (9.15).

The five-year-old is a grade higher than when he gave Eustace his first winner last month but he has since finished second and held his form. He's selected to beat Caspar Fownes’s The Storm, who will be ridden by Hugh Bowman.

Sha Tin Placepot perm

7.10
6 Packing Bole
11 Must Go

7.40
6 Jumbo Fortune
12 Soaring Bronco

8.10
9 Young Champion
13 Romantic Thor

8.40
7 Charming Legend
8 Alsonso

9.15
4 The Storm
5 Swift Ascend

9.50
3 Prestige Always
9 Sky Trust

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 4.45am

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