High-flying Ng to strike again with Banner
WHEN racegoers arrive at Happy Valley today, they will surely be mindful that with only a few more shopping days left before Christmas it’s paramount they can provide the all-important turkey on the table for next Monday.
With the stable of trainer Pierre Ng continuing to roll out the winners and showing no signs of abating, bettors will surely give his seven raiders more than a second look in the hope he can continue his astonishing run of good fortune.
It has been widely publicised the stable have now sent out winners at the last 13 race days – they had another winning treble at Sha Tin last Sunday – and Ng finds himself with 35 victories, way out in front of his nearest pursuer Danny Shum (22 wins) in the trainers’ title race.
Bearing those statistics in mind, you can guarantee the stable’s representative Turin Mascot is going to start at short odds to complete a course and distance hat-trick when he reappears in the opening contest of the eight-race programme, the Mercury Handicap (11.10am) over 11 furlongs.
The four-year-old is reunited with champion Zac Purton again and will be many bettors’ banker of the meeting, although remember races over this distance have provided many shock results in the past with plenty of gallopers making sudden mid-race moves, and on other occasions the race being run at a crawl.
A more interesting contender from the Ng stable could be DROMBEG BANNER who races at the Valley for the first time, in the feature contest on the programme, the Class Two Saturn Handicap (1.10pm) over the extended mile.
This highly progressive four-year-old is in the form of his life this season, making all in both his two wins over seven furlongs at Sha Tin and beating some smart gallopers in the process.
The question mark for many will be his first attempt over the extended mile at the track. However, he did win over a mile a Sha Tin last season and the sharp turning Valley circuit should be ideal for this well-balanced front-running galloper.
In opposition is the champion of Happy Valley this season, Chill Chibi, seeking to extend his winning sequence to five over the course and distance, and having gone up 32 pounds in the ratings since starting his winning spree in February.
His trainer Danny Shum reckons this son of Irish stallion Wrote is unbeatable at the city track and has long-term aspirations about the four-year-old lining-up in the Hong Kong Derby in March next year.
There is no doubt that with the confidence oozing from connections the popular gelding is likely to start a short-price favourite, but he does face his stiffest task to date, especially with a hefty eight-pound penalty to carry.
He may well be the real deal and continue winning sequence, but at the likely odds, Drombeg Banner still looks an attractive proposition to complete a hat-trick.
POINTERS
Drombeg Banner 1.10pm Happy Valley