Savvy has Brilliant chance under Purton

RACEGOERS in Hong Kong will be praying the gods of fortune are on their side when they arrive at Sha Tin for an 11-race programme on Sunday.

Not only are they faced with a host of head-scratching and competitive handicaps, but they have the added dilemma of what the weather will be like before the action starts.  Having rained incessantly for the last three days in the territory, heavy showers and thunderstorms are forecast again before racing commences.

That would suggest surface conditions are going to be soft, before remembering, Sha Tin is one of the fastest drying tracks in the racing world, so it is anyone’s guess how the track will ride.

You can guarantee the Caspar Fownes stable will be looking for some help from above, after their trainers’ title charge has come to a juddering halt in recent weeks. One winner in the past five race-meetings is not good news for the four-time champion trainer, and he will surely be hoping to get back on track with a winner on Sunday.

Fownes sends a strong party of nine gallopers to Sha Tin, with FORZA TORO looking his best hope of success in division two of the Lung Fu Sha Handicap (9.10am).

The son of Acclaim must be rated one of the unluckiest losers of the season so far. He missed the break over the course and distance last month, spotting the field by nearly 10 lengths.  The fact he managed to get within a head of winning the race speaks volumes of that performance, and he is a winner without a penalty.

Earlier on the card, it could be a similar story with regards SAVVY BRILLIANT who seeks compensation in the six-furlong Hong Kong Lions Cup Handicap (8.40am).

Poor jockey Jerry Chau was forced to sit and suffer during the closing stages after a clear passage failed to materialise in the race won by Geneva last month. That was, however, a step in the right direction for the five-year-old, who had lost his way after starting his Hong Kong career with two impressive wins.

Now racing just a few pounds above his last winning rating, and with Zac Purton taking over in the saddle, his chance looks obvious.

POINTERS

Savvy Brilliant                  8.40am           Sha Tin

Forza Toro                           9.10am           Sha Tin