Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday (23 April) for a 10-race turf and dirt fixture, one week out from Champions Day.
Hopefully progressive four-year-old HAVA NAGEELA can kick off the day in style as aims to secure back-to-back wins in the Class 3 1650m Handicap on Sha Tin’s all-weather track.
HAVA NAGEELA has shown ability since day dot after making his local debut six starts ago in early December. However, the Frankie Lor-trained gelding encountered plenty of bad luck along the way, which dashed his winning hopes though he still was performing well.
After storming home into second place two starts ago when ridden negatively, it paved the way for him to be hard to beat at his subsequent start, and that he was.
Hava Nageela is off the mark in Hong Kong! @SilvDSousa collects a double as the former @kencondonracing trainee does it in style… @FCLOR_RACING | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/wV0v0QpeFb
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 29, 2023
From barrier 1 on this track and distance, he duly saluted as a heavily-backed odds-on favourite, cruising away by 2.75 lengths. In just the small field of seven, now that the penny has dropped, he can go on with it.
In the final race of the card, trainer Caspar Fownes’ four-year-old STRAIGHT ARRON looks hard to hold out in the Class 2 1800m Handicap.
Fownes has turned STRAIGHT ARRON’S form around after the highly spruiked Australian import showed little in three starts for trainer David Hayes. The Fastnet Rock gelding won impressively by 1.25 lengths over this distance on his first start for Fownes, before an eye-catching fifth in the slowly-run Hong Kong Derby where he made up good ground against the race shape.
Straight Arron's impressive as! 🔥
The Australian import keeps his @BMW Hong Kong Derby hopes alive under @blake_shinn for Caspar Fownes. #HKracing pic.twitter.com/aujOeoGEVk
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 26, 2023
STRAIGHT ARRON is well placed at the weights on 120lbs, given he was 0.25 lengths ahead of SWORD POINT in the set-weights Derby, and that horse is 5lbs worse off on Sunday. The up-and-comer looked well in a recent trial and should be getting the race run to suit
