Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath with three selections at Sha Tin on Saturday

Lucky Banner
8.40 Sha Tin
2pts win

Chill Chibi
10.15 Sha Tin
2pts win

Patch Of Theta
10.50 Sha Tin
2pts win

Rising star Chill Chibi should welcome the drop in grade in the Class 2 1m1f handicap (10.15), in which he puts the Hong Kong Derby form under the spotlight at Sha Tin on Saturday.

The four-year-old finished seventh in the Classic Cup and a good fourth in the Derby on his last two starts (both at level weights) and now returns to a handicap with a light weight, albeit against strong opposition.

Being a son of the High Chaparral stallion Wrote, he has the scope to make an impact over longer trips, and his climb through the ranks may not have ended yet. He won four races on the trot at Happy Valley last year, but he also comfortably handles the bigger track.

With regular partner Jerry Chau claiming 2lb, Chill Chibi will carry 8st 10lb, which is an attractive weight against last-start winner Flaming Rabbit, who is asked to shoulder 12lb more. A more feasible danger to the Danny Shum-trained runner is C P Brave.

While Shum will be looking forward to Romantic Warrior in the FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup a week tomorrow (April 28), rival Francis Lui eagerly awaits Golden Sixty’s reappearance in the Champions Mile, knowing his stable is bang in form following a treble six days ago.

Lui can maintain the winning thread with the unexposed Call Me Glorious (9.40), as well as the highly regarded Patch Of Theta in the Class 3 7f handicap (10.50), in which the latter is reunited with Hugh Bowman, who won on him two starts back.

Patch Of Theta took a rise in grade in his stride when comfortably accounting for Green N White and Magnificent Nine on his most recent outing. He should again have the measure of Magnificent Nine, despite meeting him on 6lb worse terms for one length.

Caspar Fownes registered his 1,100th winner on Wednesday, a significant milestone in a career spanning two decades, and he can add to that impressive total with Lucky Banner in the Class 4 6f handicap (8.40).

Fownes has freshened up Lucky Banner with a two-month break and drops him back to 6f, a distance over which he won his only race 12 months ago. In-form topweight Must Go appears to be the danger.

Sha Tin Placepot

8.05
2 Bear Slam
6 G Liner 

8.40
1 Must Go
5 Lucky Banner 

9.10
2 Californiatotality
5 Flying Mojito 

9.40
4 Solid Impact
7 Call Me Glorious 

10.15
6 Chill Chibi
7 C P Brave 

10.50
3 Patch Of Theta
4 Magnificent Nine 

2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into Hong Kong pools with the Tote. The first race at Sha Tin on Saturday is at 6am.  

Sha Tin card

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