Hong Kong tips: Jim McGrath with three Happy Valley fancies for Wednesday

Dr Winning
12.45 Happy Valley
2pts win

Savvy Delight
1.15 Happy Valley
2pts win

Here Comes Ted
1.45 Happy Valley
2pts win

Joao Moreira is set to play Santa to punters on today’s nine-race card at Happy Valley, where he has a series of cracking rides headed by Dr Winning in the Class 4 handicap (12.45), over an extended mile.

Dr Winning is a four-start maiden but has already shown he is well up to winning in this grade provided he gets the rub of the green, which wasn’t the case when he finished fourth for visitor Damian Lane in a leg of the International Jockeys Championship two weeks ago.

Lane’s attempt to get to the inside rail from a wide draw resulted in a careless riding ban for the Australian, as well as Dr Winning having anything but a smooth passage, so to finish under two lengths from the winner was good in the circumstances.

With Moreira back aboard the son of Makfi, and drawn near the inside (gate 4), this is a perfect opportunity for him to get off the mark. The Frankie Lor-trained Loyal Baby is another talented type, who continues to race with promise and looks the danger.

Moreira and Size could well be the theme of the day, as this formidable duo have at least four winning chances. Apart from Dr Winning, they also combine with lightly raced Savvy Delight, who stands out in the Class 4 6f sprint handicap (1.15) after his encouraging debut fourth over course and distance three weeks ago.

Savvy Delight is out of Illustrious Miss, an Irish 1,000 Guineas third, who foaled five individual winners before this fellow came along late in her broodmare career. This is a suitable race and he has the well-backed Lucky Archangel to beat.

Trainer David Ferraris caught many by surprise by handing in his notice to the Jockey Club at the weekend. He saddles his last runners today and has a great chance of going out on a winning note with Here Comes Ted in the Class 3 6f sprint handicap (1.45).

Ferraris, a former South African champion, saddled around 460 winners in Hong Kong and enjoyed his finest hour when Vengeance Of Rain won the 2005 Derby. Arrangements are being made for his stable of 30 horses to be dispersed to other yards.

Here Comes Ted will have the services of Moreira as he takes a voluntary promotion to the bottom rungs of Class Three, and from an inside draw (1) he will enjoy the run of the race. Ferraris’s last runner will be Stoicism in the closing Class 3 6f sprint handicap (2.50).