RACEDAY FOCUS: Whyte-Purton hot streak meets class-dropper drought

Douglas Whyte and Zac Purton have quickly formed one of the more productive trainer-jockey combinations of the new season after years spent trying to beat each other on the track.

Purton’s win aboard Whyte-trained Celestial Hero at Sha Tin on Sunday made it three victories from four pairings this term, and they reunite in today’s Class 5 D’Aguilar Handicap (1,650m) aboard Cheerful Wongchoy, who drops into Class 5 for the first time.

The drop would ordinarily catch the eye, but the early-season numbers have favored horses going the other way.

Class risers have won eight of 43 starts, compared to seven from 89 for horses dropping in grade. Class 4-to-Class 3 runners are seven from 27, while Class 4-to-Class 5 droppers remain winless from 41 attempts.

Cheerful Wongchoy looks one of the stronger chances to have made that latter move, however, and is likely to start well below the $17 median price of those 41 Class 4-to-Class 5 runners.

Fortunate Son bids to become season’s first three-time winner

Fortunate Son can become the season’s first three-time winner when he contests Wednesday’s Class 3 Gage Handicap (1,800m) at Happy Valley.

The Cody Mo Wai-kit-trained gelding is one of five horses to have won twice across the opening 98 races, alongside Bright Day, Jumbo Blessing, Kempes and Team Happy.

Both wins have come at Happy Valley under Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, first over 1,650m on September 9 at $9.40 and then over Wednesday’s 1,800m trip on September 23 at $11.

The handicapper has made the task considerably tougher. Fortunate Son carried 121lb off a rating of 65 for his first win and 126lb off 71 for his second, but returns rated 80 and must shoulder topweight of 135lb.

Ho retains the ride and shares the Valley lead with Zac Purton on seven wins. Remarkably, Ho’s seven have come from 25 rides against a market expectation of just 2.54, and he has struck at all four meetings this term.

Yuen’s strong start defies run of bad barriers

Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu could hardly have asked for a better start to the season, despite receiving little help from the barrier draw. Wednesday’s Happy Valley card brings another awkward set of gates.

Three of her five rides start from barriers nine or 10, while Leading Dragon jumps from eight. Flashing Fighter, in gate four, is her only mount drawn lower than eight.

Of Yuen’s 49 rides around a bend through October 11, 27 came from barrier nine or wider, against an expectation of 17.5 based on field sizes. That represents 55.1 percent of her rides, compared to 35.2 percent for other jockeys.

The outside draws have also translated into more difficult trips overall. Her mounts have been officially reported racing wide without cover on 20.4 percent of rides, compared to 7.8 percent for other riders.

That pattern is much less pronounced at Happy Valley, however, where only two of Yuen’s 14 mounts have raced without cover despite eight starting from gate nine or wider.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓