HAPPY Valley’s five-furlong Rotary Centenary Challenge Cup Handicap (12.40pm) is the feature race on another exciting nine-race card in Hong Kong today.
There is no doubt there would have been a celebration party at the stable of trainer Mark Newnham on Sunday evening.
The former assistant to Australian training greats Bart Cummings and Gai Waterhouse had a week to remember. He saddled a career best five winners at Happy Valley in midweek and topped off a red-letter week by welcoming 2026 BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Invincible Ibis into the winners’ circle at Sha Tin on Sunday.
It’s worth noting that Newnham was struggling to find a winner just over a week ago, but the pendulum of good fortune has certainly swung full circle in his favour, moving him to within one winner of leader Caspar Fownes in the trainers’ championship.
The stable, who send a strong raiding party of four gallopers to the city track, rely on speed machine YOUTHFUL SPIRITS in the main event (12.40pm).
This course and distance specialist has been out of sorts since winning last October, but he is a renowned frontrunner and with his rating having dropped to within one pound of his last winning mark, he looks set to go well from a favourable draw in gate three.
With his body weight suggesting he is in prime condition and having gone well when backing up from a recent run in the past, he is worth supporting.
Reigning champion jockey Zac Purton continues to ride winners for fun, with another double at Sha Tin on Sunday and is closing in on his 10th century of victories in the city.
His many thousands of supporters will fancy their chances of joining the queue at the pay-out window to collect from last-start winner Giant Ballon, who lines up in division three of the six-furlong Kwai Chung Handicap (1.45pm).
The four-year-old made light work of some average opposition last time out when leading from pillar to post, but he may not have it all his own way this time.
Carrying a hefty nine-pound penalty and coming from a horrible double-figure draw in 11, which has seen only three winners in over 100 races on the track in the last three seasons, he looks to have a tough task ahead.
A better proposition could be to side with the David Hall-trained BROWNSNEEDSFURTHER, who looks to be reaching his peak and has plenty going for him.
This lightly raced Australian import has shown some encouraging ability against better company than he meets here and you can ignore his latest form when drawn next to the Shing Mun River at Sha Tin.
The stable has equipped the four-year-old with blinkers for the first time after he wore them for an improved and impressive course and distance victory trial recently.
With the Hall stable on a roll with four wins in the last fortnight, and excellent lightweight jockey Jimmy Orman having been aboard half-a-dozen winners in the same period, his chance looks bright for his first success.
POINTERS
Youthful Spirits e/w 12.40pm Happy Valley
Brownsneedsfurther 1.45pm Happy Valley
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