With the season nearing its climax, Sha Tin hosts two Group 3 contests on Sunday (31 May), which will feature two improving young gallopers reaching their peaks this term.
Both Sky Jewellery and Patch Of Stars are at career-high marks of 95 and 101, respectively, and both will make their debut at Group level this weekend, looking to answer broader questions about their promise.
John Size-trained Sky Jewellery has made a stunning comeback this season following a 12-month break, with two wins after his April return a reminder of the four-year-old’s exciting potential.
The Autumn Sun gelding has proven his adaptability across the first seven races of his career, registering wins over 1200m, 1400m and 1600m in Good, Good to Firm and Soft conditions.
Andrea Atzeni retains the ride on Sky Jewellery (119lb) in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m) following a successful first outing together in a rain-affected Class 2 mile contest four weeks ago.
“He’s done nothing wrong so far,” Atzeni said. “He’s won his last two races, and he’s up in grade, with the lightish weight. He’s a nice horse, and we’ll find out a little bit more on Sunday.
“I wasn’t quite sure about the ground (on his last run). When he came out of the gates, he just sort of struggled to get a grip. But once we got into the straight and he put himself together, he finished off nicely,” added the Italian. “I don’t know what the weather is going to be like for the rest of the week, but he’s pretty versatile. If it becomes a bit slow, he’s obviously won on it. But he’s won on top of the ground too. So, I don’t think the ground would be an issue.”
The engagement sees Atzeni, who is third in the jockeys’ standings on 54 wins for the season and sits three wins behind Sky Jewellery’s regular rider Hugh Bowman, renew his partnership with champion trainer John Size, with whom he’s enjoyed a highly successful association, yielding 18 winners this term.
“John’s been supporting me for most of the season and we’ve done well together,” Atzeni said. “I’ve been able to do those lightweights, which was a big help for me.”
Karis Teetan picks up the ride on Manfred Man-trained Patch Of Stars, who will carry 121lb when he tackles the G3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap (1200m).
The All Too Hard gelding has three wins, a second and a third from seven runs in a hugely successful four-year-old campaign, which has seen his mark climb from 79 since he finished a fading sixth in a Class 3 test on the opening day of the season.
He’ll encounter a line-up of established sprinters in Sunday’s co-feature, including Raging Blizzard (135lb), Beauty Waves (129lb) and Tomodachi Kokoroe (126lb), who for a period this season was the 1200m Class 2 course record-holder at Sha Tin. But Teetan believes his mount is coming into form towards the end of the season and that the light weight could give Patch Of Stars an edge.
“At the end of the season, you get those horses that are still holding their form, and they go in with the nice lightweight. Those are the ones to get on,” said the Mauritian. “I’m lucky to be able to pick up this horse.
“It’s a tough race – there’s some horses that we need to respect, of course. But I do believe he’s in the right place to be competitive.”
Sunday’s (31 May) 11-race fixture at Sha Tin starts at 12.45pm with the Hong Kong Wu Hua General Association Cup Plate (1200m) for Griffins.