Luckless Horace's Choice ready to put his name in lights again
Horace's Choice may never reach the lofty heights he promised some 11 months ago, but the signs are positive he can give his connections a nice consolation prize by claiming today's Amber Handicap (1,400m).
The Caspar Fownes-trained gelding has always given the impression he was well above average and he proved that when running the race of his career to beat all but Helene Mascot in the Group One Classic Mile in January.
He failed at his next outing in the Derby Trial when his jockey reported he may have held his breath, then didn't see out the 2,000m of the Hong Kong Derby, before ending the season with another disappointing effort.
While Horace's Choice has failed to register a place in four starts this term, his performances suggest this afternoon could be the occasion he ends a 19-month losing streak.
After two satisfactory efforts, the five-year-old was unlucky not to finish closer to Unique Jewellery on November 16 after being held up in the straight, and he was again unfortunate not to take the prize 17 days later at Happy Valley. He settled back in the field under Darren Beadman, took inside runs in the straight, but was blocked for a run at a crucial stage, before darting back to the inside and running on well to finish fourth to Lotzatow, beaten only a head.
While he tackles tougher opposition this time around, he should get a nice run on the back of the speed under Zac Purton, and there is no doubt he has the talent to beat this lot.
His biggest danger will come from Roma Pegasus, who creates plenty of interest at his Sha Tin debut.
The four-year-old, who raced in Australia under the name of Steel Giant, won four of his first five starts before measuring up to the likes of Horse of the Year Weekend Hussler in two Group One assignments.
He failed on trying ground in the AJC Derby at his final run, before joining the stable of Almond Lee Yee-tat.
He indicated he had settled in to his new environment well when winning a December 2 trial over Unique Jewellery, and he is making all the right noises that he can make into a genuine contender for the Derby next year.
The promising Presto is likely to be favourite to land his fourth success, but the five-year-old is facing the toughest opposition on this occasion.
He got a long way out of his ground but ran on well behind Redragtoabull two starts back, before showing superior finishing speed to return to his best last start.
Although this task is significantly tougher, the John Size-trained gelding takes a big drop in weight, and appears to have the makings of a smart horse.
Horace's Choice has only won twice, but has earned prize money of: HK$3.4m
The number of wins impressive Presto has racked up from nine starts: 3
