Sprinter 'peaking at the right time' for Sha Tin assignment

Beat The Clock
7.20 Sha Tin
2pts win

Loving A Boom
8.30 Sha Tin
2pts win

Smart Patch
9.05 Sha Tin
2pts win

Defending champion John Size looks to his stable stars to launch a mid-season response to the big lead established by Ricky Yiu in the trainers’ championship on a stellar card at Sha Tin.

Size will rely on hardy sprinter Beat The Clock to land a second successive Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup (7.20) and the progressive Waikuku to lift the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup (6.15) against strong opposition, which includes Beauty Generation.

Size, who has 11 titles to his name, usually bides his time early in the season before coming home with a real rattle in the second half. But, even allowing for this usual pattern, he is 18 wins behind the in-form Yiu, who has great depth in his stable this season.

Beat The Clock lived up to expectations when finishing powerfully to take the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin last month, and Size appears to have him peaking for this. Interestingly, all three major chances are drawn next to each other.

Stablemate Hot King Prawn, who was a close second when he last met Beat The Clock, will again be the main danger, while Hugh Bowman flies in from Sydney to maintain his association with the Frankie Lor-trained Mr Stunning, another serious contender who was fourth in the Hong Kong Sprint.

Joao Moreira, Beat The Clock’s partner, is also aboard Waikuku, who only has to repeat his excellent effort when second to Japan’s Admire Mars in last month’s Hong Kong Mile, to win the Stewards’ Cup.
Zac Purton remains loyal to Beauty Generation despite the seven-year-old's below-par efforts this term.

The champion jockey can nevertheless look forward to finishing the day on a high note, with Loving A Boom in the 6f sprint handicap (8.30) and Smart Patch in the mile handicap (9.05).

The only time Purton has previously ridden Loving A Boom was when the five-year-old registered his sole Hong Kong win, and despite a wide draw, this re-association may be a strong pointer.

Smart Patch comes into the finale with excellent prospects and meets Charity Go, with whom he is on 3lb better terms after a head defeat last time. That should be enough to turn the tables in favour of the son of Hinchinbrook.

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