What Else But You can provide the good fortune punters are seeking

What Else But You
8.05 Sha Tin
2pts win

Gamechangers
8.40 Sha Tin
2pts win

Cordyceps
9.50 Sha Tin
2pts win

Happy new year to all readers of this column, or Kung Hei Fat Choy, as the locals would say, for the first meeting of a fresh year in the Chinese calendar, one which superstitious punters believe dictates how lucky you will be for the next 12 months.

Whether it is luck or skill, the deadly combination of trainer John Size and jockey Joao Moreira are always hard to beat. It is a trend that is likely to endure in the Year of the Pig, and their contender What Else But You (8.05) has the right credentials to land the Class 1 Chinese New Year Cup over 7f on a cracking holiday card at Sha Tin.

There are six runners for this interesting handicap – an unusually small field by HongKong standards – but What Else But You put the writing on the wall on his last outing when finishing strongly from back in the field to take fourth behind the smart Conte.

The selection was only a length and three-quarters adrift at the line, having produced a run which prepares him perfectly for this assignment.

It will be no pushover, however, as John Moore runs one of his key HongKong Derby contenders, Solar Patch, who has been on the sidelines for six months through injury, while Frankie Lor saddles Morethanlucky, who was a solid second in Conte's race last time.

Size and Moreira are set to follow up with Gamechangers (8.40) in the Class 3 6f handicap, a typically competitive heat.

Gamechangers was breaking the ice in HongKong at the 16th attempt when winning a 6f handicap at Happy Valley, and there is no doubt an inside draw played a big part in that narrow victory.

Again, luck is on their side as the gelding starts from stall one, which should again give him a slight edge.

The 11th race is the finale on this bumper card, and the Class 3 1m contest features the reappearance of the progressive Follow Me, whose task is made harder by an outside draw in 14.

Given that, we can take Silvestre de Sousa to capitalise aboard the very handy Cordyceps (9.50), who is a model of consistency.

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