Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath has three selections at Happy Valley on Wednesday

E Brother
12.15 Happy Valley
2pts win

Kokushi Musou
1.15 Happy Valley
2pts win

Flying On The Turf
1.45 Happy Valley
2pts win

Hugh Bowman is on the hot list in Hong Kong, firing in ten winners at the past five meetings, including a treble at Sha Tin on Sunday, and he is again the jockey to follow on a tricky card at Happy Valley.

His most interesting ride is the capable five-year-old Kokushi Musou, who is a new mount for the former Sydney champion in the first division of the Class 4 6f handicap (1.15), a race made more difficult for some with the rail out at its widest on the ‘C+3 course'. 

Trainer Caspar Fownes is not known as the 'King Of The Valley' for nothing, and he will try even the smallest change in an attempt to get a result. For that reason, the booking of in-form Bowman and the fitting of blinkers on the New Zealand-bred gelding is significant. 

Zac Purton, who took a rare suspension last weekend very badly, rides Publicist for Pierre Ng and will provide strong opposition, while the David Hayes-trained Allgreektome is next best. 

Bowman has an attractive book of rides, including the David Hall-trained Timestorm in the Class 4 6f handicap (12.15), the Hong Kong Football Club Centenary Cup, which in normal circumstances would be a perfect target for the seven-start maiden. 

Unfortunately, he has drawn poorly (12 of 12) from a notoriously tricky starting point on the tight city track and he will need the leaders to go flat out from the start to give the backmarkers a chance of figuring in the finish. He still has place claims but Silvestre de Sousa’s mount E Brother might be more feasible. 

E Brother has won two of his last three starts and is racing in great form in this grade. It would be foolish to ignore him with those credentials. 

Purton has latched on to the Jamie Richards-trained Flying On The Turf, who he has partnered to comfortable wins on the gelding’s last two starts. A hat-trick is on the cards when they contest the second division of the Class 4 6f handicap (1.45), in which Bowman’s ride Compassion Super is the danger. 

Richards was sent Flying On The Turf from Jimmy Ting, in whose hands he had plummeted two classes. It is the scenario all trainers dread. However, he will still be hard to beat yet again.

Happy Valley Placepot perm

12.15
4 E Brother
7 Timestorm

12.45
1 Viva Popcorn
5 Packing Succeeder

1.15
1 Publicist
2 Kokushi Musou

1.45
1 Compassion Super
8 Flying On The Turf

2.15
5 Solar Winds
8 E Legend

2.50
5 Mark The Moment
6 Nordic Dragon

2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into HK pools with the Tote. The first race at Happy Valley on Wednesday is at 10.45am.

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