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

Right As Rain
8.00 Sha Tin
2pts win

Flying Season
9.05 Sha Tin
2pts win

Lightning Bolt
10.10 Sha Tin
2pts win

Right As Rain is ready to live up to the promise he displayed in his last three runs in the Class 4 1m1f handicap (8.00) at Sha Tin, which looks a perfect race for him to break the ice.

A six-start maiden by the Wellington Guineas winner Rios, the gelding has been running on strongly at the end of his races, suggesting this trip and beyond is where his future lies. With Joao Moreira booked for the first time, he will be hard to beat.

Two starts ago, he was set an enormous task when dropped out to second last in a big field from a wide draw (13), but he charged home to finish second, beaten two and a half lengths by ultra-consistent Leading Fortune.

Zac Purton is the jockey who can pose most problems for Moreira, this time on the lightly raced Looking Cool, another New Zealander with stamina in his pedigree. It would not be surprising if he proved to be serious opposition to the selection.

Moreira is also tipped to take the Class 3 6f sprint handicap (10.10) on Lightning Bolt, who was touched off by a short head last time by one of his former mounts, Like That, over course and distance. A pull in the weights points this time to the Danny Shum-trained sprinter.

The most intriguing runner is Campione, who arrived in Hong Kong an unbeaten winner at Group 3 level in Italy and is one who displayed an abundance of early speed to scrape home for his first win locally late last month. This is his first try on dirt, but if he takes to the surface, he may be hard to run down.

A high draw is preferable on the straight 5f track, which gives the Manfred Man-trained Flying Season, drawn 10, an excellent chance of notching his third win from four starts in the Class 3 sprint handicap (9.05).

He has been clobbered by the handicapper, going up a hefty 12lb in the handicap for his last start win by four lengths, in which he made a mockery of his class rise. This three-year-old son of Exosphere is clearly improving rapidly and is an obvious choice.

John Size runs three in the sprint, with the Moreira-ridden Savvy Delight looking the pick of the trio. He faces a 6lb rise in the handicap, which is modest in comparison with Flying Season.

Sha Tin Placepot perm

8.00
2 Looking Cool
7 Right As Rain

8.35
6 Party Everyday
9 Skyey Supreme

9.05
1 Flying Season
10 Savvy Delight

9.35
9 Blotting Paper
12 Sun Of Makfi

10.10
1 Campione
7 Lightning Bolt

10.45
3 Sauvestre
4 Super Dynamite

2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 bets

Bets can be placed into Sha Tin pools with the Tote, Coral and Ladbrokes. The first race at Sha Tin on Saturday is at 6.00am.

Sha Tin Saturday card

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