Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath with three Wednesday picks at Happy Valley

Hameron
2.45 Happy Valley
2pts win

Seasons Wit
3.15 Happy Valley
2pts win

Packing Award
3.50 Happy Valley
2pts win

Packing Award can come to the aid of his embattled trainer Peter Ho by winning the closing Class 2 handicap (3.50), over an extended mile, at the final Happy Valley meeting of the season. 

Ho is near the bottom of the Hong Kong trainers’ standings and needs two winners this week to meet Jockey Club performance criteria to save his career. The winners must be in races at Class 4 level or higher. 

Packing Award, a very useful type, has won six of his 21 starts and is more than capable of carrying out this crucial assignment provided he gets the breaks in the race. He is attractively drawn in stall five and partnered by Karis Teetan, who has twice won on him. 

Dropping back in distance should not be a problem for the five-year-old, who comes to this off the back of a gutsy fourth in the Group 3 Premier Plate at Sha Tin, in which he attempted to make all. This time, thankfully, he should sit in behind the pace.

His danger is the Ricky Yiu-trained Nimble Nimbus, a five-time winner who is partnered by Brenton Avdulla for the first time. 

Zac Purton, buoyed at beating Joao Moreira’s record of 170 winners in a season at the weekend, has a decent book of nine rides but he is not on as many favourites as expected. His best at this meeting is the Jamie Richards-trained Seasons Wit in the Class 3 5f sprint (3.15). 

The three-year-old must cope with a 7lb hike in the handicap as he attempts a course and distance hat-trick but he is on a roll when others are struggling to find form. He will go off at short odds but he should go in, with Harmony N Blessed the next best. 

Trainer Francis Lui, who sent out four winners on Sunday, can maintain his impressive strike-rate by taking the Class 3 1m1f handicap (2.45) with former Sydney stayer Hameron, who won two races for Chris Waller prior to export.

The gelding has run on strongly from well back in three local starts and will relish stretching out to a longer trip. Purton remains loyal to Jumbo Fortune at this distance, which is an interesting pointer.

Happy Valley Placepot perm

1.15
3 Fast Serve
6 Ace Talent

1.45
4 Snowalot
6 Gold Tack

2.15
7 Hearty Wish
8 Togepi

2.45
4 Jumbo Fortune
5 Hameron

3.15
2 Seasons Wit
3 Harmony N Blessed

3.50
5 Packing Award
6 Nimble Nimbus

2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into Sha Tin  pools with the Tote, Coral and Ladbrokes. The first race at Happy Valley on Wednesday is at 11.45am.

Happy Valley Wednesday card

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