It's payback time for Precious Bobo
PRECIOUS Bobo can gain compensation for a shocking stroke of bad luck last time out by taking this evening's second event at Happy Valley. The Derek Cruz-trained gelding was severely hampered straight after the gates opened and was shuffled back to the rear of his field in the race eventually won by Good Choice. In all, Precious Bobo must have lost around five lengths in that sprint run over the same 1,200 metres as this evening's affair. So to get back into the race and be beaten just 21/2 lengths was a big run indeed.
Precious Bobo's form prior to that run had been good. He won as he liked under a perfect ride from Alan Munro the time before and prior to that had looked a bit unlucky under the apprentice James Chan. Both those efforts were also over this evening's course and distance so Precious Bobo is clearly adept at, and well suited by, the 1,200-metre Valley trip.
He also represents a stable in very good form these days. Precious Bobo's burst of form has coincided almost exactly with the return to form of the Cruz team. Earlier in the season it was not so much that Cruz's horses were running badly - though it is no use pretending they were running as well as they are now - it was more a case of them running reasonably well but only up to a point. They were placing but they just could not get their heads in front. Since the New Year it has been a whole different story and his runners have been racing in peak form.
He had another winner with Allegresse on the weekend and Precious Bobo's work suggests he has held his form well enough coming into tonight's race to take plenty of beating, even from barrier 11. The draw is not going to help, but one factor in his favour is the French rider Eric Saint-Martin. Saint-Martin has been in impressive form since arriving as a replacement Club Jockey and he will be exuding confidence on his mount. The biggest danger is likely to come from the Ivan Allan-trained Fast Action who finally broke through for his maiden win last time when holding on well from Call Me Horse over a rain-affected 1,200 metres at Sha Tin.
Since then Fast Action has appeared to have improved further in the mornings and he looks a considerable danger as he is cherry ripe. He is also drawn well in barrier three and Allan will be ultra-keen for winners as he is only two behind Patrick Biancone in the championship and his arch-rival has one runner tonight, the unfancied So So in the local riders' event. Phantasy Way is suited by the 1,200-metre course at Happy Valley because they usually go hard and it allows something to run home from the rear of the field.
This is very much his style of racing and with Fast Action and Viva St Paul's likely to take them along at a good clip from barriers three and five, this should allow Phantasy Way his chance of running them down in the straight. It is also one of the main reasons why Precious Bobo should not be too inconvenienced by barrier 11 as he should be able to slot across, to a degree, and then come with a strong run. The David Hayes-trained Optic Style disappointed last time, but that came in a Class Four event and he had earlier run well in Class Four company when third to Raymondo.
Given that Optic Style is now ridden by Damien Oliver and given that he is dropped into Class Five, he is probably worth one more chance. It may be worth taking a bit of a punt on another Derek Cruz-trained horse who should be at much bigger odds than Precious Bobo. Run Archie Run is the horse in question and he contests the night's Class Six mile event. He has glimpses of form this season and his recent work, in keeping with how the Cruz stable seems to have turned the corner, has been most encouraging.
It could just be that he is now ready to run his best race of the campaign and surprise at a working man's price. The dangers to Run Archie Run are likely to come from Bicycle, who has grown a leg since joining Ricky Yiu, and from Po On King who is starting for the first time for defending champion trainer John Moore.
