Valiant Hewitson can pull off front-running heroics on Xponential
FORMER South African Champion Jockey Lyle Hewitson can continue his run of good form when he teams up with mentor and trainer Douglas Whyte for three rides on a nine-race programme at Happy Valley today.
Hewitson had his most successful days racing since his return to Hong Kong at the beginning of the season when riding a double at Sha Tin on Sunday, and has bright prospects of replicating that feat.
The 24-year-old is making a name for himself as a front-running jockey who gets the fractions right out in front, with the likes of Sunday’s winner Super Ten, and earlier this month, Natural Gold, springing to mind.
Hewitson and Whyte have already proved a fruitful partnership to follow, with all bar one of the jockey’s seven winners coming from Whyte’s stable.
Racing takes place once again on the infamous C+3 track, where an inside draw and a prominent position from the off are paramount to a horse’s chances of winning.
The gods of fortune have certainly smiled on Hewitson again, who finds himself aboard two of Douglas Whyte’s gallopers who have the prime inside-draw number in stall one, and both like to either lead or be up with the pace from the off.
History shows that horses coming from the inside stall have a 26 percent win strike-rate and 46 percent place record over the six-furlong track in the past three seasons.
First-up is last-start winner VALIANT ELEGANCE who seeks to defy a penalty in Division One of the Tsap Tseung Handicap (1.45pm) over six furlongs.
Hewitson was aboard when the five-year-old blitzed his rivals at the start by building up a commanding lead over the course and distance last month, and then still had enough in hand to hold off the proverbial cavalry charge in the closing stages.
The pace map for this race points to a similar scenario, with most of his main rivals having awkward or wide draws. If the South African pilot sets his fractions right from the front once again, he will be hard to catch.
Half-an-hour later Whyte and Hewitson team up with XPONENTIAL who gets his chance to score an overdue victory in Division Two of the Tsap Tseung Handicap (2.15pm) over six furlongs.
This course and distance specialist has found it hard to get his head in front this season, but suggested he was near his best again, when, from the outside draw and after having to work hard early on, he just failed to withstand the whirlwind finish of Lucky Quality early last month.
That form was given a boost by Lucky Quality and third-placed August Moon both winning recently.
This time with the inside stall in his favour he is likely to get a dream journey from the off, and then should have enough in hand to see off the obvious threats and strong finishers, Gang of Brothers, well-drawn Hercules and improving Above All.
POINTERS
Valiant Elegance 1.45pm Happy Valley
Xponential 2.15pm Happy Valley