Lightning has already struck twice for Hawthorne over the Happy Valley 1,000m lately and trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai has done his utmost to see if he can make it happen again in the Victoria Racing Club Trophy tonight. Yiu has called on 10-pound claimer Alvin Ng Ka-chun to beat the handicapper and effectively nullify the re-handicap that Hawthorne has received for the latest of those wins.

Off a mark of 67, he had a three-pound claim for Terry Wong Chi-wai when he won on January 4 over Good Boy Boy, then Wong was aboard again when Hawthorne again held on to beat Flashing Guy on January 18 off a rating of 73.

The handicapper reacted by lifting Hawthorne to a mark of 79, but that is effectively down to 69 with the claim for Ng - or only five points higher than his first winning rating and less than the last one.

Paul O'Sullivan has countered by claiming on Good Boy Boy with Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, but the key for Hawthorne is in the draw.

When he met Good Boy Boy last time, O'Sullivan's sprinter had Zac Purton and gate two, while Hawthorne was in the three gate. Now, swapping the superior skills of Purton for Ho's claim, Good Boy Boy also swaps a low gate for a wider draw. Hawthorne has barrier four and looks drawn to again be the first horse to the fence unless Charity Spirit (Purton) kicks up early.

www.racing.scmp.com

from RACING POST in HK

The Group One Mercedes-Benz Classic Mile today looks a moderate test of the stamina needed for the four-year-old races to come and that looks the greatest danger to the John Size-trained Fay Fay taking it out. What the race will tell us about the Classic Cup and Hong Kong Derby ahead is open to query, but the Classic Mile is an interesting race in itself and a chance for Size to strike a blow at the top level.

Fay Fay (Douglas Whyte) looks the right favourite for the race, but the tempo and an inside barrier draw look to be the most powerful enemies for the Falkirk gelding.

With eight starts for five wins and three seconds, Fay Fay has barely put a foot out of place in his career to date. He is unbeaten at 1,600m and unbeaten in four races this season, rising through the handicap ranks from a 67 rating to his 110 figure now.

In a truly-run race, with clear galloping room, Fay Fay would be the likely winner and he deserves to be the favourite. When he has had a solid pace, Fay Fay has won very comfortably, including his latest outing. When the tempo has been soft is when Fay Fay has been less impressive, winning ugly as he did second and third up this season, but he has continued to win and there is much to be said for that.

This is by far his toughest test, as the last-start Class Two winner rising in grade in what is essentially a Class One standard race, while Admiration (Tim Clark) and Captain Sweet (Jeff Lloyd) are, with Sweet Orange (Weichong Marwing) and Longwah Supreme (Brett Prebble) the horses dropping down from what was previously known as Premier class.

Perhaps Captain Sweet and Admiration might be considered stamina doubts at 1,600m, but stamina may not be an issue unless someone makes a decision to run the race along.

Outsider Packing Tycoon has gone forward in his recent races and might lead from Admiration and Captain Sweet, but that is by no means a given and there is no reason to think that whoever leads will want to set a strong tempo.

That's when Fay Fay's low draw could help him lay up closer than usual, but could also become a problem if he is bottled up between horses turning into the straight and battling to get the revs up while other horses in clear room are able to get going. Who knows, perhaps even Smart Giant (Darren Beadman) might race forward in a soft tempo rather than give away a start in a slow pace. He can sprint hard at the finish off no speed and so can Sweet Orange. (www.racing.scmp.com)

Douglas Whyte's powers of navigation will be tested, but Go Baby Go still looks the one they have to topple in the Pearce Memorial Challenge Cup (1,000m) at Sha Tin today. The racecourse debut of Go Baby Go was much anticipated and he didn't let anyone down five weeks ago, with a hollow Class Four victory down the same straight course that will be the stage for this afternoon's Class Three feature.

The handicapper was highly impressed by Dennis Yip Chor-hong's young sprinter, hoisting him 13 points in the ratings, but with the rise in grade comes a drop in the weights to balance things up.

Ratings and weights are the least of Go Baby Go's worries, with a complete switch around in barrier draws more of a concern.

Go Baby Go had the use of gate 13 first up, a natural advantage on the straight course on most days, and was able to bounce out and dominate the event against the outside rail from halfway out and won eased down by a big margin.

But the draw has been unkind this time with barrier one the launch pad for the gelding, and that will be the test for Whyte's skills.

Fast horses like Dane Patrol, Stallion Supreme and Vintage Hussler have come up with wider draws and will head the race up from out there, while Go Baby Go will have to work his way across and won't have the luxury of jumping straight into the fray.

www.racing.scmp.com

from HK RACING POST

Flashing Guy might be a late call-up to the Craigengower Cricket Club Challenge Cup (1,000m) at Happy Valley tonight, but the sprinter looks to have landed in the right time and place to claim the feature. Flashing Guy (Brett Prebble) was listed as a reserve for the race until yesterday, but the withdrawal of Jun Dao has given the Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained five-year-old a start, a good gate and a top jockey in a race which is just begging to be won.

Until Flashing Guy's inclusion, finding the winner loomed as a tough ask - those in form like Super Plus (Ben So Tik-hung) and Hawthorne (Terry Wong Chi-wai) had drawn poorly, and there are question marks over disappointing horses like Supreme Jewellery and Xi Ying Men. And the betting public loves Danewin Winning (Matthew Chadwick), but his form simply has not measured up yet to that estimation.

It was tough to know where to go - until Flashing Guy got the run. Two starts ago in Class Four, he did all but win when the very much in-form Make It grabbed him in the final strides over 1,200m. Since then, he finished fifth to Mentor last week in this grade over 1,200m when forced to work three-wide throughout from his outside gate. With abundant pace, Flashing Guy shouldn't be disadvantaged coming back to this trip and he can race in the lead or take the box-seat run.

www.racing.scmp.com

From HK RACING POST

Even though Lucky Nine has thrived since his Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint win last month, trainer Caspar Fownes says he will be vulnerable when he drops back to 1,000 metres for the first time in Sunday's Group One Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup against a host of straight-track specialists. Lucky Nine takes on the Sha Tin straight course for the first time in the first leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, where Fownes says his five-year-old, who is better suited over 1,200m and 1,400m, will need some luck.

"It's going to be a big test for him," Fownes said. "In 1,000m races up the straight here, the specialist horses tend to perform the best. He will really come into his own in the final two legs of the series over the longer trips, but I'm sure he'll still be a force to be reckoned with on Sunday. He is in great condition."

The Speed Series continues with the Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) on February 5 and the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) on March 4.

Lucky Nine is unbeaten on straight tracks, winning a race in Ireland over an undulating 1,200m course at Naas at his third start as a two-year-old. Fownes said tomorrow was a different ball game and nominated Sacred Kingdom, who has won the last two runnings of the race, and Little Bridge as dangers.

Sacred Kingdom has won eight times and finished second on three occasions in 12 tries over the course and distance, while Little Bridge is four from five.

Even Group One newcomer Eagle Regiment established a five-from-eight record at 1,000m, never finishing worse than second, as he moved through the grades.

www.racing.scmp.com

from RACING POST HK

Taking a risk and playing a double banker in the opening two legs of tomorrow night's Triple Trio, including a couple of rides for in-form Gerald Mosse, can help snare the lions' share of an expected HK$4 million dividend. Mosse will bring the momentum of a Sha Tin double on Sunday to the city track and opens up the TT with a ride on Richard Gibson's rejuvenated miler Great Renown in a Class Three.

Great Renown came to Gibson as a winless six-year-old with 15 starts behind him, but delivered the Englishman his first Hong Kong win first-up.

He has yet to put in a bad run, with another win and two runner-up efforts. All have been over the Valley's extended mile and, from gate seven, he will be hard to beat.

Second banker is the Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained Plentiful, with another in-form jockey in the saddle - Zac Purton. He rode a treble on Sunday to move into outright second in the jockeys' standings and will head back from gate eight, possibly looking for cover behind Great Renown.

Plentiful hasn't been beyond 1,400m, but his remarkably consistent recent record at that trip and his relaxed style suggest he will run the distance.

Since finishing eighth with a heart irregularity this time last year, Plentiful has four seconds, two thirds and a fourth in seven straight runs at 1,400m.

Offsetting the fact he has only been to Happy Valley once, a long-priced failure at his second start, is an impressive December 16 barrier trial at the track where he cornered well and steamed home under a strong hold.

Adding confidence is the application of blinkers for the first time, to coincide with a return to the tighter circuit, and two eye-catching runs this season. First up, it took subsequent two-time Class Two winner New Vision to beat him, and at last start, he was way back at the 300m and stormed home in tidy sectionals to snatch third. Along with the two bankers, David Hall's lightly-weighted Jun Hua (Terry Wong Chi-wai) could give some cheek in front and should be included.

Trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing has come out running this season to be sitting third on the championship ladder and a switch to his in-form yard may be just the move to get the best from Charity Spirit in the Lok Sin Tong Cup (1,000m) today. With win tallies of 19, 21 and 18 for his most recent seasons, Shum's performances had fallen well below what was expected after he burst on to the training scene some seasons ago with 130 successes in his first three years.

But he seems to have come back to his best, with headliners in the yard like Little Bridge and some highly-promising younger horses, and has charged to 18 wins with well over half the season to come.

And the magic of a change to a winning team could be what Charity Spirit (Gerald Mosse) is looking for, after the grey's 12 starts for five placings since landing here last term for Gary Ng Ting-keung. Last Wednesday night, Shum sent out another sprinter, Turf Magic, having his first run for the yard. Turf Magic was able to put a few moderate recent efforts behind him to finish off strongly into third in a performance like his old self.

If Shum can conjure the same from Charity Spirit, then today may just be the day that he can break his maiden status and put behind him a record that reads worse than it should.

He has been narrowly touched off when second behind some handy ones in Eternal Beauty, Golden Bauhinia and most recently Flying Colours, and there have been several occasions when Charity Spirit's performances have been mitigated by bad luck, none more so than his latest outing at Happy Valley.

Runners went everywhere on the first turn that night in an incident that earned two jockeys careless riding bans, and Charity Spirit was one of the main sufferers, so punters can simply draw a line through that run.

www.racing.scmp.com

From RACING POST HK

Peter Ng Bik-kuen's Super Plus is reaching the end of his tether at the top of Class Three, but has found the right race to make it three straight wins in the grade and can act as a banker in the middle pin of tomorrow night's Triple Trio at Happy Valley. At the age of 64, Ng is having a vintage season with 15 wins and Super Plus has been one of his stars. The seven-year-old has risen 14 rating points, taking him to a mark of 77 and the pointy end of Class Three.

The 71 he won off last start was already a career-high handicap, so you could expect Super Plus to meet his match soon - especially given his 40-plus starts, which indicates a limited upside. But he finds a bottom-heavy race with nine of the 12 runners rated 70 or below, gets a nice draw (five) and Ben So Tik-hung's five-pound claim takes the pressure off a little, with the seven-year-old to carry a more comfortable 128 pounds. The pace should be genuine which should suit So from that draw.

Next to consider is one of this season's best trial performers, Keen Marie, a four-year-old Private Purchase from the Me Tsui Yu-sak yard.

By Falkirk, who is proving to be a "Hong Kong sire" - with progeny like Fay Fay, Best City and Solar Great - Keen Marie starts his career off 67.

After a three-start New Zealand career for a single win, Keen Marie has made a solid impression in three trials on all three surfaces, including an important effort over this course and distance.

The four-year-old has matched motors with winners Straight Gold, Go Baby Go and Oriental Prosper at the trials, making a favourable impression each time. Gate nine is a tough starting position for Mark du Plessis, but he goes in regardless.

The Tony Cruz-trained Xilai Xianzi (Maxime Guyon) is improving and could easily figure, as should Elusive Prince (Tye Angland), despite drawing 10.

Happy Yeah Yeah (Keith Yeng Ming-lun) continued his run of good draws, with barrier one making him a place chance.

The opening leg of a TT bolstered by a HK$4,475,363 jackpot is a Class Four (1,650m), another race where pressure up front could play into the hands of some sit-sprint types.

Two that can race handy but still bounce off a solid tempo are Viva Guy (So) and Snitzel Kid (Angland), and both have drawn perfectly in three and four respectively. (www.racing.scmp.com)

Stable jockey Darren Beadman has faced tough choices and some that have gone the wrong way ever since he joined the John Moore yard, and Admiration could add to the list of the painful ones in the Group Three Chinese Club Challenge Cup (1,400m) today. Other jockeys might call it a good problem to have, but the pressure to get it right when Beadman chooses between multiple stable runners in high-class races must keep the jockey awake at times. This is one of those times.

Beadman stays on last-start winner Captain Sweet, one of four runners for Moore, and it would have been no easy choice to make between him and the other top-class four-year-old, Admiration (Brett Prebble), who coincidentally has also drawn next to him.

Both horses will be looking to use the traditional New Year's Day sprint feature as a springboard into the four-year-old Group Ones, which commence with the Classic Mile in just over three weeks.

Admiration races in the same ownership as Scintillation, who won this as a five-year-old in 2006, and he and Captain Sweet have had fairly similar profiles for much of their careers with Moore having done a good a job to keep them apart until now.

But the time comes when their options have narrowed so they have to meet and there looks little to separate the pair in this event, a race Moore has not won since Northern Tide 22 years ago.

While Captain Sweet comes to the race as a last-start winner on international day in Class One, Admiration drops back in class from the Hong Kong Sprint, where he wore blinkers for the first time and drew out.

Both contributed to him racing below his previous form in the Jockey Club Sprint when Admiration had been right there in the finish with Little Bridge and Entrapment, and connections rolled the dice and applied the blinkers to see if Admiration could find an extra length from somewhere.

Instead, in blinkers from the wide gate, Admiration was back and wide in the international, albeit with some cover, and looked to be wanting to do a touch more in running than was good for him. He didn't finish his race off and Moore has removed the shades as Admiration returns to a distance where he has been beaten only once in four attempts, when he conceded year-older Sichuan Success nine pounds last season.

Not that Captain Sweet - with four wins and three placings from seven runs at the trip - is at any disadvantage over the course and he has yet to miss a place over any distance. (www.racing.scmp.com)

from RACING POST HK

Underrated John Size-trained Sapelli returns to his best course in the Chek Keng Handicap (1,800m) at Sha Tin today and gets his chance to upset Derby-bound favourite Smart Giant. Sapelli (Douglas Whyte) flies under the radar as an honest type just short of the best around, but there has been nothing at all wrong with how he has been racing. He has just been looking for the right race and he finds it this time.

With three wins from seven starts over the Sha Tin 1,800m, including his career highlight in the Group Three Premier Plate last season beating Mighty High, Sapelli produces his very best at the trip but is starved of opportunity as he hovers around triple figures in the ratings.

Since that Premier Plate, his only chance to run over the Sha Tin 1,800m came earlier this season in the Ladies' Purse when he was too far off a slow speed to win but outfinished the likes of Destined For Glory, Fat Choy Oohlala and Let Me Handle It to get into fourth place.

There was no missing his strong-finishing runs over an insufficient 1,400m thereafter until the firm track and the short trip were just too much for Sapelli on international day behind Captain Sweet.

He comes back from legitimate Class One company to a glorified Class Two, gets his distance, a decent draw and looks nicely placed on his better form.

Pace again looks Sapelli's enemy, with no obvious leader in the race, though Cartoon Fay Fay wears blinkers for the first time and has shown some speed in his only race at 1,400m and his trials in blinkers since. He may take up the running but without much pressure, unless lightly weighted Liberator goes forward to get in and offset his outside draw.

A slow tempo at this trip is not entirely against Sapelli - he has shown before that he can sustain a long run and overcome a modest pace, provided he is able to get into the clear and into his finish before the leaders sprint and provided he is not asked to make up too large a margin.

The John Moore-trained Smart Giant (Darren Beadman) will probably have the advantage of laying up close to the speed and has looked a serious competitor in the four-year-old races coming up, but this is his toughest test, giving away some sizeable chunks of weight to decent horses going well. One of his other main rivals will be another horse originally with the Moore yard as a Derby hopeful - Carthage (Eddy Lai Wai-ming). (www.racing.scmp.com)

He has just one local victory and has been maligned even by those close to him as lacking a competitive will, but Let Me Fight gets his opportunity to prove his doubters wrong in the Happy Valley Trophy (1,200m) tonight. With almost HK$4.5 million banked and excellent performances against the best, Let Me Fight (Jeff Lloyd) should be a bright star in the John Moore stable. But the four-year-old has not delivered what was expected and even his trainer has branded him as not genuine.

The booking of Lloyd instead of stable rider Darren Beadman is no surprise, either, as Beadman feels Let Me Fight doesn't want to fight at all. Well, this is the gelding's chance to change that mantra, with a drop in class, a drop back to what has looked to be his best distance and gate one on the "C" course all factors in his favour.

That Let Me Fight rose from a debut rating of 77 to his 111 tells you he has ability, but one possible blind alley down which Let Me Fight's career got lost is that his only win, an impressive Class Two, came over 1,400m. As a result, there has been a tendency to think 1,400m and even 1,600m were ideal trips, and Let Me Fight has perpetuated that by running creditably over them. Winning Group races is no pushover but, over longer, Let Me Fight's prospects have also been hampered by overracing - an indication he might be better over shorter and that is backed by his sprint efforts.

Since his fourth in the 2010 Hong Kong Sprint, Let Me Fight's efforts at 1,200m or less have been third in the Chairman's Sprint, third in the Sha Tin Sprint Trophy in October, a close-up sixth in the Premier Bowl and sixth, three lengths away in the Jockey Club Sprint.

RACING POST (www.racing.scmp.com)

The John Size-trained Glorious Days is showing all the signs of going to the top of the tree and the Midland Holdings Cup (1,400m) at Sha Tin today should offer one more guide to just how good the four-year-old might turn out. A soft winner in New Zealand at his only run, Glorious Days (Douglas Whyte) has scored just as cosily in his two starts in Hong Kong over this course and distance.

He was never out of first gear winning first-up in Class Three but, without setting any records both in his time or his sectionals, but it was clear there was a lot more there if required.

We got more of a look at that in his latest assignment, this time under a big weight and opposed to a smart horse in Time After Time, but Glorious Days again displayed a high-cruising speed and this time was able to marry a solid run time with a strong sectional and handled Time After Time comfortably.

The handicapper has not missed his wins, lifting him 27 points in those two victories and already Glorious Days finds himself getting towards the top of Class Two, where the tests get tougher under weight.

But everything about Glorious Days has the look of a future Group One horse and, from his handy draw, Whyte should have him in the run of the race again.

It all points to another victory, especially as his main opponent again looks to be Time After Time (Darren Beadman).

The John Moore-trained gelding had some issues with overracing last season, but has been better-mannered with more experience this campaign.

He settled well last time in his only attempt at this distance, tracking Glorious Days through the race, then putting it to him at the 250m.

Glorious Days answered every demand and shrugged off the challenge to move clear again by almost two lengths, while Time After Time was able to draw well clear of the rest.

Time After Time gets a weight turnaround on the winner of 11 pounds and, under some circumstances, that might have been enough to have some confidence he could turn around the result as well. But with the favourite drawn low again and Time After Time going from gate five to gate 14, that weight change is negated to some extent.

There doesn't look a great deal of speed, so Beadman is going to have a job to get Time After Time in and settled, while Whyte will have all the favours.

fropm RACING POST in Hong Kong (www.racing.scmp.com)

Freshman trainer Richard Gibson has made a sound start to his local career and Great Renown gives him the chance to claim his first trophy race in the Chinese Manufacturers Association Of Hong Kong Cup (1,650m) at Happy Valley tonight. Of course, it would not technically be Gibson's first trophy as he has two Hong Kong Vases to his credit already with Doctor Dino, but Great Renown (Douglas Whyte) looks the horse to land the trainer's first cup event since joining the trainers' roster on a permanent basis.

With six wins from 80 runners, Gibson broke the ice with Great Renown in September and the six-year-old probably should be unbeaten in three runs for the yard over this course.

He put up a big effort to finish runner-up at his second start for the term after being knocked rotten halfway up the Valley straight, and made amends with his latest impressive victory in Class Four.

Ridden quietly on that occasion, Great Renown unwound a powerful finish to win convincingly and left little doubt that he won't have any trouble with Class Three. A promising horse in New Zealand with three wins from seven starts, Great Renown arrived on a rating of 78 with clear scope to make it in Class Two, but his career has been hampered by serious injuries until this season. Gibson appears to have him back to his overseas form but, even after a nine-point penalty for his last run, the gelding is still 10 points below his entry point to this jurisdiction.

www.racing.scmp.com

Hong Kong has its best chance in years to take the HK$20 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) today at Sha Tin. The Tony Cruz-trained California Memory (Matthew Chadwick) will have admirers, on the strength of his second behind Ambitious Dragon in the QE II Cup over the same course in May, but punters will surely pin their hearts to the Tony Millard-trained gelding and his perennial champion jockey Douglas Whyte.

The race looks a showdown between France and Hong Kong, with the world's second highest-rated horse, Cirrus des Aigles (Christophe Soumillon) and the only horse to have conquered him in his last five outings, Byword (Maxime Guyon).

The best locals have so often been competitive in the Hong Kong Cup, yet it is a race that, in its time as a serious international contest has been kept at home only by David Ferraris' Vengeance Of Rain as favourite in 2005 and by David Oughton's Precision in a 64-1 upset in 2002.

River Verdon also won in 1991 and Motivation two years later, but it wasn't the race then that it has become and the flags of France, England, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Japan have been flown to celebrate its annexation more recently.

Viva Pataca was unlucky not to win it on at least one occasion and Irian, Collection and Bullish Luck have gone close, but Ambitious Dragon at his best has looked a better proposition than any of those horses and, like them, enjoys a home-track advantage.

Perhaps Guyon was simply overconfident when untroubled to sit wide and Ambitious Dragon was beaten in the Jockey Club Cup for the first time in a year, perhaps that scintillating first-up win on National Day took more out of the gelding than anyone presumed and he was below his best.

But with Whyte back on and that flat run behind him, whether the real Ambitious Dragon turns up is one of the key questions.

If the world ratings are right, Cirrus des Aigles would win the race but, like all such official assessments, they are designed more for after the event than in a predictive role.

A line-up through California Memory, whose Gold Cup performance was superior even to Snow Fairy's eye-popping win in this race last year, says the current Hong Kong form line is good enough to win the race, in what could develop into a race won by the best turn of foot.

www.racing.scmp.com

from STEVE MORAN in Hong Kong

www.racingvictoria.net.au

Jet-setting and in-form Melbourne jockey Craig Williams declared that Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden was 'ready to go' in Sunday's $1.7 million Hong Kong International Vase after partnering the horse in his final serious gallop at Sha Tin on Tuesday.

'He's in great order. He really lengthened well at the close of his work and the thing that pleased me most was that he recovered well and quickly from the gallop,' said Williams who missed the Melbourne Cup ride through suspension but had won the Geelong Cup on the Mikel Delzangles trained five-year-old.

'I've ridden him four times now, in his work, and I know him. He's not jaded. Not on the way that he went this morning. That was his main gallop and I was more than happy with him. I spoke to Mikel, he's happy and all's good,' Williams said. Dunaden ran the last 400m of his 1200m workout in 22.5 seconds.

Williams is back aboard Dunaden with his Cup winning jockey Christophe Lemaire committed to ride Vadamar for the Aga Khan and Alain de Royer-Dupre.

Dunaden, like Americain the year before, won the Melbourne Cup with 54.5 kg after success at Geelong and their paths continue to mimick each other. Americain progressed to the Vase and finished three lengths third behind Mastery and Redwood with the latter, trained by Charlie Hills, contesting the race again this year.

Americain's cause was not aided by a moderate pace and Williams conceded that could again be an issue for Dunaden. 'You'd like a genuine tempo but on the other hand he sat back and picked them up at Geelong and the pace wasn't breakneck in the Melbourne Cup,' he said.

Red Cadeaux, beaten millimetres behind Dunaden at Flemington, is also progressing well towards the Vase. "Everything has gone well since Melbourne and he's at his racing weight. He has just been tootling along, but we'll probably give him a decent gallop on Wednesday or Thursday,' said Robin Trevor-Jones, assistant to trainer Ed Dunlop.

The Vase has been dominated by the Europeans. Since 1994, 14 winners and 16 placegetters have emerged from Great Britain and France - with the latter nation leading eight to six on the tally of winners.

This year's event looks to have a number of chances with no standout. These look to be the other key runners: -

Trailblazer - Japan. The only Japanese win came with Stay Gold in 2001 but Trailblazer was a more than competitive fourth behind Buena Vista in the Japan Cup on 27 November and, unlike the Japanese sprinters Curren Chan and Pas De Trois, he had a trouble free trip to Hong Kong.

Jakkalberry - Great Britain. Trained by the Newmarket based Italian Marco Botti. He came from last to run fifth in the race last year and his recent form in Italy has been sound.

Silver Pond - France. Might be best placed if the ground is soft (only usually the case at Sha Tin if there is rain on the day) but can't be ruled out after a midfield finish (8th) in the Arc.

Campanologist - UAE. Has won successive Group 1 races at the distance in Germany and Italy albeit not against stellar opposition. Ran 16th in American's Melbourne Cup.

Redwood - Great Britain. Runner-up last year and also runner-up to So You Think's conqueror Rewilding in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Thumps Up - Hong Kong. Untried at the trip but Caspar Fownes says he's 'spot on' and his win at 2000m on 20 November was excellent.

Sarah Lynx - France. Japan Cup effort bit better than it looks - after winning the Canadian International with Redwood seventh behind her.

Vadmar - France. Has the right trainer in Monsieur de Royer-Dupre and could become the third French 3YO winner.

Brett Prebble has been the dominant jockey at Happy Valley over recent seasons and the Australian can make it official by taking the Cathay Pacific International Jockeys' Championship tonight. Prebble rides under the bauhinia flag rather than that of his native land and, while he has ridden more than his share of Sha Tin winners since he made Hong Kong his home, he has gradually overhauled Douglas Whyte as the jockey to beat at the tricky Valley circuit with 90 wins there since September 2008 against his arch rival's 67.

And that will take him a long way in a difficult CXIJC, especially since Prebble didn't get any spoils at the barrier draws with seven, nine, 10 and 11.

That may play in his favour, though, with the IJC moving back to the "A" course after several years on the "B" track.

The "A" course doesn't spread the runners out in the straight like the other rails and is traditionally a placement which can suit the horse running on.

Prebble will spring something of a surprise in the opening leg if he wins on Common Goal for Andy Leung Ting-wah, but his engagement is beneficial as he did plenty of work last season on the five-year-old grey, who comes off an excellent dirt sprint run on Sunday.

Bespoke Master, Prebble's second ride, comes off a failure when apprentice-ridden but his prior form was sound for senior riders.

Prebble on Moon Chaser is fortuitous, as the jockey does so much riding for Caspar Fownes and was aboard this gelding over 1,800m last time. Moon Chaser loomed as the winner with 150m to run but didn't finish off and the drop back in trip will help.

His final ride, Dr Win for John Size, looks Prebble's weakest link after disappointing last time, with the only mitigating circumstance that he was up handy to a solid speed, but he could benefit from a change of tactics.

With all four of his mounts looking scoring chances, Frankie Dettori looks hardest for Prebble to beat. (www.racing.scmp.com)

Trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai took a little time to hit his straps this season, but the yard is in full flight now and Jade Christy should continue that roll by winning the Chinese General Chamber Of Commerce Cup (1,000m) at Sha Tin today. Yiu has saddled up 12 winners from his last 71 runners and has a team fully capable of more than one victory on the programme, but the four-year-old Jade Christy (Alex Lai Hoi-wing) stands out among them.

The gelding put the writing on the wall before he raced with some well-above average trial performances, then ran out an impressive winner up the straight course in Class Four.

Winning on debut is always a good achievement, but Jade Christy looked like he knew all about the racing game, camping right on the speed then clearing away to do it comfortably.

It was a performance that augurs well for the son of Danehill Dancer's future as, in addition to all that speed he is showing now, he also has some stamina in his pedigree, with his grand-dam Eastern Joy a Group-class New Zealand performer over longer distances who even managed sixth in a Group One Wellington Cup over 3,200m.

Any step out over further lies ahead for Jade Christy, but if he repeats the speed he showed first-up, that should be enough to get the job done this afternoon.

Rising in grade to what is a fairly thin Class Three, Jade Christy drops to a light weight, necessitating the jockey change from Zac Purton, and he has drawn the preferred outside barrier.

His danger looks an obvious one in the John Size-trained Supreme Jewellery (Douglas Whyte), despite that four-year-old having looked somewhat disappointing since his own impressive debut down the straight.

Anything that can be said of Jade Christy now was also being said of Supreme Jewellery after he strolled home in May in Class Four over this course, but he has finished out of a place three times since, twice at odds on.

He never looked comfortable first-up down the straight this season behind Arrived Ahead, then was on top of a good speed and didn't really find the line at 1,200m last time out in blinkers for the first time, although he was beaten only half-a-length behind Taverner. (www.racing.scmp.com)

from HK RACING POST

Dennis Yip Chor-hong and jockey Zac Purton have been infrequent partners in the past, but the trainer has turned again to the Australian rider to work the oracle with Groovy in the Tung Wah Group Of Hospitals Challenge Cup (1,200m) at Happy Valley tonight. In four completed seasons, Purton had only four rides for Yip but has doubled that tally since the start of the new term and turned low-grade galloper Cheerful Double into a first-time winner earlier this month for the yard.

Now Yip has Purton in the saddle for talented sprinter Groovy and the partnership may turn around the gelding's troublesome behaviour at the start if a recent trial is any guide. On November 12, Purton was on board when Groovy began best and led throughout to win his Happy Valley trial by a big margin.

That was in contrast with Groovy's previous bad barrier manners that have seen him a frustrating loser on a number of occasions. There is no doubting Groovy's ability to gallop, but leaving the gates badly and misbehaving has been the story behind his 12 starts for just one win.

Notably, Purton's linking with Groovy in that trial coincided with Yip's decision to dispense with the blinkers and tongue tie which have been regularly employed on the five-year-old, and the removal of blinkers in particular may have had a bit to do with that quick start in the trial.

That is the key to the race, with Groovy's major rivals, Best Eleven (Gerald Mosse) and Moneymaker (Douglas Whyte), having excellent barrier manners, and he can't afford to make the same mistake at the jump if he is to beat them.

www.racing.scmp.com

The home team throws down its cards for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races today at Sha Tin, with the prospect of three short-priced winners and Ambitious Dragon, Entrapment and California Memory boosting local stocks ahead of next week's announcement of the invitees. Each of the three looks an obvious favourite for the Jockey Club Mile, Sprint and Cup respectively, races which have been dominated by favourites and consistently been a guide to international day prospects.

Although the Mile trial winners have always run well in the Hong Kong Mile - a race the locals have claimed for the last five years - only Good Ba Ba (2007) won both and the likelihood this year is that the race won't provide a double either, with Ambitious Dragon targeting the longer Hong Kong Cup in three weeks' time. If Ambitious Dragon (Maxime Guyon) reproduces what happened in the National Day Cup, then the Jockey Club Mile betting will only be about the time, margins and minor placings.

Still, this is horseracing. Playing devil's advocate and looking for a flaw in Ambitious Dragon today, the only thing that crops up is just how good he was first-up - it is difficult and unusual for any horse to keep pulling out that kind of performance. There is potential for a "bounce" after running fast time under a big weight like that, but Ambitious Dragon was not bottomed and did it so comfortably that it is difficult to imagine he was knocked around too much. And he has had seven weeks to get over it.

The dangers are the obvious, like Xtension, Able One and Beauty Flash, but if there is to be any surprise in the placings, it might be provided by talented but brittle Fair Trade or the Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained Outdoor Pegasus, who was back to his best at Happy Valley last time. In the four-year-old races last season, the latter was not far behind Xtension and Ambitious Dragon at level weights and they concede him the five pounds penalty.

Unlike the Sprint and Mile, local wins in the Hong Kong Cup have been rare, with only Precision (2002) and Vengeance Of Rain (2005) taking the race this century.

But that has not stopped success in the Jockey Club Cup or its equivalent being a solid guide to international day, as Collection and Irian have shown in the last two years in finishing excellent seconds and Viva Pataca won this race on the way to being unlucky in December twice.

www.racing.scmp.com

from RACING POST HK

The luxury of a rails gate may prove the winning edge for the John Size-trained Enabling in the Wayfoong Centenary Bowl (1,800m), at Happy Valley tonight. With the rail in the B position, inside draws are usually gold, so Enabling (Douglas Whyte) could not have a more suitable starting position in what looks a very competitive Class Three feature.

The son of High Chaparral came to Size with a consistent record in six juvenile starts in Britain, but his breeding and capabilities suggested he should make improvement with time. That has proved to be right, with Enabling improving every start and, since being stretched out to slightly longer trips this term, he has found his way to the winner's circle twice from his last three starts, coincidentally, from the pole position at the start each time.

The most recent win came on October 26, when the gelding trailed the leaders over this course, then put away his rivals by more than two lengths once he got clear in the straight. Enabling is up to the top of the weights for that victory but is up to doing the job again if he continues his steady improvement.

The Cup promises a sound speed, with quite a few of the runners habitually on, in or near the lead, and that will likely see some of them steadied to sit behind rather than cut their own throats by contesting.

However it plays out, Whyte will have all the options on Enabling, but he concedes quite a bit of weight to main dangers, Fortune Winner (Zac Purton) and Private Road (Tim Clark). Both horses also take a position and are in top form.

The Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained Fortune Winner is back to his old self after a season in the wilderness, winning his first two this term before he was unlucky last time out after a slow start cost him vital field position.

www.racing.scmp.com

from RACING POST HK

Drawing single figures can help Super Plus break through for the first time in more than a year and aid punters trying to narrow calculations in a tough Triple Trio at Happy Valley tomorrow night. After a wide-open first leg, the Peter Ng Bik-kuen-trained sprinter can be counted on as a banker in the middle leg of a TT expected to hit HK$8 million - which includes a HK$4.38 million jackpot.

Super Plus comes into the Class Three 1,000m dash off two brave efforts in this grade where he was trapped three wide facing the breeze.

On both occasions he jumped from wide gates and had no right to be sticking on at the finish. But he did, finishing second and fourth and continuing his sound form from the end of last term.

Ben So Tik-hung gets the seven-year-old in at an attractive 116 pounds, but it is gate four that is the kicker.

With speed drawn inside him, So should be able to slide across to the coveted box seat just behind the pace, sprint at the turn and record the gelding's first win since September last year.

Danewin Winning would have made more appeal had he not drawn the extreme outside. From there, Gerald Mosse may have to try something different on the Tony Cruz-trained galloper, who has been ridden handy at his three starts.

Others to include, despite being drawn unfavourably, are Vintage Hussler and last-start winner Double Luck.

In the final leg, a Class Four over the extended mile, it could be wise to play narrow again to open up options in the first and banker improving Great Renown.

First-term trainer Richard Gibson has already shown a propensity to get the best out of Class Four and Five horses and progress them.

He has managed to win three consecutive Class Fives with Easy Gold and it's not hard to imagine him doing something similar with Great Renown, his first winner.

The six-year-old came to Gibson after 15 starts and off a mark of 51. He copped six points for his first-up victory but still looks better than this grade.

Drawn two with Douglas Whyte, he will get a cosy run just off what could be a solid tempo with numerous no-pace types entered. (www.racing.scmp.com)

The John Size-trained Voile Rouge may be an unknown on the treacherous all-weather, but he ticks every other box ahead of today's Broadwood Handicap (1,650m) at Sha Tin. With no trophy race, the Broadwood - which is essentially a Class Two - is the strongest class race of the day and sees Voile Rouge tackle the artificial surface for the first time.

The five-year-old was well tried in Australia with David Hayes, where he won three times in 16 starts but he was in the first four another seven times and consistency and adaptability were his hall mark.

Voile Rouge (Douglas Whyte) struck at the third time of asking here, winning over 1,400m on the Sha Tin turf, then was again a sound enough run at that distance when third to Noble Alpha.

But Size suggested after Voile Rouge's win 1,400m may be as short as he wants and, with just a modest tempo last time, he was outdashed at that distance. Stepping up to 1,650m looks an ideal progression for the Encosta de Lago gelding, especially with a low draw which he has the speed to use to good effect.

Just Fantastic, Mighty Sun and possibly Happy Reunion look to be going forward early but there doesn't look an oversupply of speed, which should suit a horse like Voile Rouge as he won't have too much trouble taking up a very handy spot behind them.

Will he handle the all-weather? Well, there are his four barrier trials to suggest he will, and the fact that Voile Rouge had some good soft ground form in Australia prior to his importation.

And there's the very salient argument the surface can't be held against him until he has shown he doesn't handle the all-weather or the kickback. (www.racing.scmp.com)

From RACING POST in Hong Kong

Talented five-year-old Groovy has been a handful for most of his jockeys, but the return of Brett Prebble can pave the way to a return to the winner's circle for the gelding in the Hong Kong Golf Club Centenary Cup (1,200m) tonight at Happy Valley. Groovy has a modest winning record of one from 11 starts but probably that would read better if his ability was matched by a more tractable attitude.

Often slow to begin, the Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained Groovy can prove a difficult ride even when he does begin reasonably well, throwing his head in the air and wrestling his riders during the race.

First-up for this season, 10-pound claimer Alvin Ng Ka-chun was thrown to the wolves when legged up on to the mischievous gelding, with the not unpredictable result that Groovy was left behind when the gates opened.

Nevertheless, he found the line strongly to grab third place behind Time After Time over this trip. Prebble seems to get on as well with Groovy as any rider has - a win and a second from his two rides say a great deal, and Prebble has also had more luck than any jockey in getting the gelding to begin well and in calming his nervous ways during the run.

That looks important, as Danewin Winning and Loads Of Joy look likely to have the lead between themselves and, unless these two go crazy, the pace may not be enough for horses which miss the gate and have to come from last.

The John Size-trained The Wand (Douglas Whyte) looks the obvious danger and, unlike his rival, he has been consistent and sensible in his five starts. (www.racing.scmp.com)

from RACING POST in Hong Kong

Horses which miss the start and horses drawn in the outside barrier are not usually a recipe for success at Happy Valley, but the chemistry of both of those factors might help Supreme Taiji upset the favourites in a tricky Hong Kong Squash 50th Anniversary Cup (1,000m) today.

The gelding has not been a winner out of his turn to date, with 17 starts for two victories, but he has been consistent enough to return another 11 first four finishes, despite poor barrier manners that often see him last to leave the stalls.

But a negative jump may not be the worst thing that could happen to Supreme Taiji (Olivier Doleuze) from barrier 12 as the race is chockfull of speed inside him.

From Vintage Hussler (Eddy Lai Wai-ming) in the rails gate to newcomer Palepale in the 11 alley, the overwhelming majority of the runners in the cup have a press forward style.

The likelihood of them all going for the lead is probably slim - doubtless quite a few will have the same idea about the speed - but there should still be plenty of pressure in the early stages as they sort their positions out.

And that may allow Doleuze to take Supreme Taiji across the back of the field to the rail, then ride for luck around the home turn before the design of the "B" track rail kicks the runners left on straightening for home and the gaps open up.

For Doleuze and trainer Tony Millard, it is a relatively rare pairing this afternoon.

The French rider has been in brilliant form but has had only 53 mounts for the Millard yard in the past seven years, just nine in the last 2 1/2 years and his last winner for the team was Northern Hero in May, 2007.

While Supreme Taiji has often been ridden for speed when he does deign to jump on terms, he has also shown at other times that he can produce a strong finish when he doesn't work early and that looks the best scenario with the likely pace on this afternoon. Any other tactic will see him in a "can't win" situation sitting off the track.

Supreme Taiji's only unplaced run over the Valley 1,000m came first-up this term when he had every chance but ran out of steam late behind Happy Yeah Yeah to run fourth. (www.racing.scmp.com)

from RACING POST in HK

Lightly raced five-year-old Five Clubs has had his issues but seems to have found a niche over the dirt sprint trip and that stands him in good stead in tonight's Tsuen Wan New Town Golden Jubilee Cup (1,200m) at Sha Tin. Five Clubs (Derek Leung Ka-chun) looked to be at the crossroads in January after bleeding in a race down the straight turf course, when still a local maiden galloper.

When he returned from his compulsory break, however, trainer Manfred Man Ka-leung sent him back to the all-weather in June, a course where he had run well enough in two previous attempts. It was a winning move, with Five Clubs overhauling another of his rivals, Fortune General (Jeff Lloyd), to take the spoils.

Spelled for the summer, Five Clubs returned from a three-month break with a powerful finish behind a strong lead tempo on September 18 to win again over the dirt 1,200m.

If there is a query about him it is that both of those wins have been when coming off significant breaks and Five Clubs needs to repeat his fresh form after only a month, but he looks likely to get everything else he wants - a good draw and a likely good pace.

Smart Choice (Brett Doyle) tends to lack consistency even on his preferred all-weather surface, but is another well suited if he puts his best foot forward and turns up in the same form we saw when he scored first-up in Class Four on the same Five Clubs won the Class Three.

The John Size-trained Fortune General may have scored his only win on the turf course at Sha Tin but is a son of Johannesburg, whose progeny tend to be best on soft ground or artificial surfaces. (www.racing.scmp.com)