Hong Kong racing tips: Jim McGrath's three selections at Sha Tin on Sunday

Hit The Shot
8.35 Sha Tin
2pts win

California Spangle
9.35 Sha Tin
2pts win

Tuchel
10.10 Sha Tin
2pts win

Tony Cruz can take stock of his stable strength for the big international meeting in December after the brilliant California Spangle lines up against strong opposition in the Group 2 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy (9.35) tomorrow.

Cruz has his team very forward, which sees the Hong Kong legend heading the trainers’ table with nine wins, and California Spangle, with Zac Purton aboard, can add to the tally despite a wide draw (12) as he steps up again to a mile.

The four-year-old returned this season with a win over 7f, which Cruz believes will have put him near peak fitness for this, bearing in mind his ‘grand final’ will not come until the Hong Kong Mile on December 11.

The last time California Spangle raced over the distance, he finished second to Golden Sixty in the Group 1 Champions Mile last April and, as on that occasion, the plan this time is for Purton to use the gelding’s early speed to cross to the inside rail soon after the start.

Cruz and Purton are on record as saying California Spangle is settling more readily in front, which he should manage again without much trouble.

Ka Ying Star, drawn the inside (1), is also a front-runner, but he is unlikely to be permitted to challenge his stablemate to make the running.

Russian Emperor is an interesting runner on his reappearance. He has a new jockey in Lyle Hewitson, who will want to get a nice feel on his first run back.

Although he will be better in longer races, the ex-Ballydoyle import has the class to run on strongly, while Ka Ying Star also has place claims.

Purton has his usual collection of favourites on the ten-race card, and he should have increased his 13-win advantage at the top of the jockeys’ table by the end of the day, with Tuchel in the Class 3 7f handicap (10.10) looking his best, apart from California Spangle.

The John Size-trained Tuchel has gone up 7lb for a comfortable win on his last start and still looks to be ahead of the handicapper. From an inside draw (2), he should be hard to beat. The Ricky Yiu-trained Eternal Bloom looks his danger.

Size has brought the Australian import Hit The Shot along slowly but there are signs this one-time Victoria Derby runner-up is working up to a win, which could come in the Class 3 1m1f handicap (8.35).

Sha Tin Placepot perm

8.00
5 Star Contact
7 Stunning Impact

8.35
10 Looking Cool
11 Hit The Shot

9.05
1 Sweet Encounter
2 Universal Horizon

9.35
2 Russian Emperor
3 California Spangle

10.10
3 Tuchel
9 Eternal Bloom

10.45
2 Packing Treadmill
5 Bundle Of Charm

2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 lines

Bets can be placed into Sha Tin pools with the Tote, Coral and Ladbrokes. The first race at Sha Tin on Sunday is 6am.

Sha Tin Sunday card

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