Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath with three Sha Tin fancies on Sunday

Sight Spirit
7.40 Sha Tin
2pts win

Excellent Proposal
8.10 Sha Tin
2pts win

Elon
9.15 Sha Tin
2pts win

John Size is the trainer to follow on Sunday's attractive ten-race card at Sha Tin, with his Excellent Proposal strongly favoured to reverse recent form with stablemate Lucky Express in the feature Class 1 Chevalier Cup (8.10) over a mile.

Size, the 11-time champion, has his team starting to peak at just the right time, with the big international meeting two weeks away and, while neither horse looks likely to threaten Golden Sixty in the Hong Kong Mile on December 12, they are still capable of dominating this.

Excellent Proposal ran a cracker when fifth (beaten two lengths) to Lucky Express in the Panasonic Cup two weeks ago, when a wide draw made his task difficult but, with the advantage of gate two this time, he can enjoy the run of the race.

It is the opposite for Lucky Express, who now has the wider draw, but can still figure in the finish, while front-running Buddies and in-form Fast Most Furious should be included in multiples.

Size, with his typically slow start to the season, has 12 winners on the board and significantly eight have been registered this month. The majority of his ten runners on Sunday have solid chances, but perhaps the most interesting is Hit The Shot in the Class 3 mile handicap (8.40).

Having not raced since finishing second in the Victoria Derby at Flemington over 12 months ago, this Australian import clearly has the Hong Kong version next March as his long-term objective, but after pleasing in a recent local barrier trial he could run well fresh and give the Ricky Yiu-trained Soulmate some opposition.

Another Size runner to focus on is the maiden Sight Spirit, an Australian-bred Toronado gelding, who has shown promise on his two runs so far in this grade. Stretching out to 7f (7.40) should be in his favour as he has twice run on well over a trip a furlong shorter.

Elon, Size’s runner in the Class 3 6f handicap (9.15) on the dirt track, won over course and distance in September and on his most recent outing he also acquitted himself well on turf. This former William Knight-trained sprinter, who won at last year’s Newmarket July festival, still looks well handicapped and is selected to beat Harmony Spirit.

Sha Tin Placepot perm

7.05
2 Five Elements
3 California Concord

7.40
7 Sight Spirit
11 Voyage Star

8.10
4 Lucky Express
6 Excellent Proposal

8.40
1 Hit The Shot
11 Soulmate

9.15
5 Harmony Spirit
8 Elon

9.50
3 My Sugar
8 Blaze Warrior

2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into Hong Kong pools with the Tote, Coral and Ladbrokes. The first race at Sha Tin on Sunday is at 4.45am.

Sha Tin Sunday card

Bet through the Tote

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