John Size-ing up another all-weather victory for Erimo
ALL EYES will be on local top all-weather performer Youthful Deal when he makes a belated return to his favourite surface in the £300,000 Hebe Hill Handicap (3.15pm) over the extended mile.
The Frankie Lor-trained gelding was a revelation on the all-weather track last season, winning four times and improving 36 pounds in the ratings.
The son of Deep Field did, however, miss his intended target on dirt earlier this month, with the cancellation of racing due to a typhoon, forcing his trainer to look for other alternatives.
With no races planned over his optimum six-furlong trip on the dirt until early December, his trainer has had to take a chance by stepping up in distance for the first time.
Although Lor, who was top trainer with 13 wins in all-weather races last season, is reported to believe his stable star is capable of seeing out the distance, there is no evidence in his breeding to back his faith, and it would be a gamble to support him.
A better alternative would be to support the John Size-trained ERIMO, who had two of his four wins on the surface last season, and who looked highly progressive in the latter stages of that campaign.
With past records showing that the five-year-old strikes form early on, and having done plenty of work in preparation for this contest, including two encouraging trials, the signs are looking good.
With champion trainer John Size finally off the mark with a couple of wins during the week, and jockey Alexis Badel having an impressive record of two wins and two seconds aboard the gelding, everything looks in place for a win.
POINTERS
Erimo 3.15pm Sha Tin