Yiu and Lui set to trade winners as trainers' title race enters home straight

Dionysus Collin
2.15 Happy Valley
2pts win

3.15 Happy Valley
2pts win

3.50 Happy Valley
2pts win

Ricky Yiu is pulling out all the stops to repel the sustained challenge of Francis Lui in the battle for the Hong Kong trainers’ title, and each is represented by seven runners on an intriguing nine-race card at Happy Valley.

With three meetings to go before the end of the season most had expected the jockeys to be providing the climax, but with Zac Purton having wrapped up that championship the spotlight has switched to the trainers.

Yiu leads Lui 64-63, and, you have to believe it, this one will go right down to the wire.

Both have several good chances but the promising Eternal Harvest, who is two from five and a course-and-distance winner, looks to be Yiu's best chance in the 5f sprint handicap (3.15).

The three-year-old is drawn wide in gate 11 which, although far from ideal, is not impossible from the 5f start as there is just enough distance for a speedy type to get balanced and take up an early forward position before the turn out of the back.

Eternal Harvest, a gelded son of Smart Missile, opened his account over 6f at Sha Tin, but he took the drop back in distance in his stride when winning over 5f last time out. A rise of 6lb in the ratings is not enough to halt his progress.

Vagner Borges is proving very useful to John Moore in the trainer’s final season in Hong Kong and G Unit, who is well drawn on the inside, could prove another handy ride and is the danger to Eternal Harvest.

Lui’s best winning chance may be the consistent Dionysus Collin, who starts from the inside gate in the 1m½f handicap (2.15). He should be up in the box seat in the short run to the first turn.

Although he has won just once in 20 starts the four-year-old is still in his comfort zone in this grade, having gone up a reasonable 5lb for a last-start victory over 1m1f. Righteous Mate is his chief threat.

With 40 winners Douglas Whyte is enjoying a successful first season as a trainer, and his up-and-coming Brave King is set to add to that tally in the 1m1f handicap (3.50).

Brave King, bought out of the Gordon Elliott stable in Ireland, has been getting better with every run and this is a fine opportunity for him to open his Hong Kong account. The Yiu-trained Toycoon is well placed and also expected to run well.

TOTE PLACEPOT RECOMMENDATION

Leg 1 (1.15 Happy Valley): 4 Yee Cheong Lucky, 12 Fox Cheunger
Leg 2 (1.45): 1 We The South, 8 Excellent Chariot
Leg 3 (2.15): 5 Dionysus Collin, 11 Righteous Mate
Leg 4 (2.45): 1 Seven Heavens, 4 Little Bird
Leg 5 (3.15): 6 Eternal Harvest, 12 G Unit
Leg 6 (3.50): 2 Toycoon, 8 Brave King

Perm: 2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64 bets

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