Hong Kong International Sales graduates have had a cracking season so far and Danny Shum Chap-shing's Redwood Baby can add to the winners' list in the opening leg of the Triple Trio at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
Last year's International Sales have already produced 11 individual winners of 22 races, including Pleasure Gains, Majestic Anthem and Archippus.
The high-priced lots at the sale often attract the most attention, but owner Lee Ching Yiu seems to have snared a great bargain in paying just HK$1.5 million for the son of High Chaparral in March last year - around a million dollars less than the horse cost as a yearling. Sales director Mark Richards bid more than $2.5 million on behalf of the Jockey Club at the 2012 Magic Millions Yearling Sales for Redwood Baby, and Richards was back at the same sale again last week buying more Australian-bred runners for future sales.
Redwood Baby was brought along slowly early by Shum, and now that the three-year-old gets a crack at 1,800m for the first time, he should show his best.
After a fifth on debut over 1,400m at Sha Tin when starting more than 100-1, Redwood Baby could be considered unlucky to not finish better than third on International Jockeys' Championship night when he was blocked for a run and ran into some trouble in the closing stages. English jockey Ryan Moore was forced to adopt some roughhouse tactics in the closing stages as he shunted his way clear and Redwood Baby found the line in the manner of a horse looking for further.
Redwood Baby's breeding indicates a mile or better will be his calling too, and a trial since his last run over 1,700m was top rate. Joao Moreira taking the reins on Wednesday is a huge plus, and he was on board in the trial as well, settling the lightly-framed individual out the back, where he relaxed beautifully as the Brazilian worked on balancing him up around the turns. When clicked up and asked for some effort late, he came off heels and again showed a nice turn of foot to win the heat.
Redwood Baby starts from gate five in a race with 11 runners, so he should find a one-off spot, but even with the chance that a slowly run race might work against him, most of the other chances are in the same boat and he has the necessary upside to break through here.
From gates one and four respectively, Funny Fortune and Perfect Moment are the ones likely to go forward, but it doesn't look like they will be pestered much. Eagle Spirit (Derek Leung Ka-chun) has led and won before, and he might try and find a spot in the front half, which would help his chances. Also include Dragon Pins (Douglas Whyte), who has moved to the top of the grade and, despite being six, won last start like he still has something in store ratings wise.
Happy Centenary (Brett Prebble) is another whose inexperience and breeding (by Pins) says he should improve stepping up to 1,800m, but he didn't go around a horse when Prebble produced a rails-hugging ride in his last start victory, and he might find it more difficult here.
Francis Lui Kin-wai's China Delight (Gerald Mosse) has to go in, he followed up his two Class Five wins with another impressive effort with a light weight in Class Four - and he certainly won like a horse that could do it again.
The middle leg is a Class Three over 1,000m - and with the rail in the C postion, lean towards those drawn low. St Yazin (Zac Purton) ran into a pretty good one last start when second to Charity Joy and has drawn fairly in five.
Bank St Yazin, and include Diamond Elegance (Weichong Marwing), Fantastico (Moreira) and Tango Fire (Prebble). Peniaphobia (Matthew Chadwick) has trialled well ahead of his debut, but drew 11, putting a dent in his chances.
Another 1,800m race, this time a Class Three, finishes the TT. In an even contest go with Ambassadorship, counting on Moreira's brilliance to turn things around. Todos Con Suerte (Mosse) is next, and also include Jamesina (Mirco Demuro) and Green Manner (Tye Angland).
