ENGLISH riding star Alan Munro hit his straps with a double at the last meeting and he looks poised to do so again at Sha Tin this afternoon. The English and Irish Derby-winning jockey, a popular and regular visitor to these climes, is strongly fancied to take the Class Six third event on the Gary Ng Ting-keung-trained Tomodachi and the Class Two seventh race on the improving straight 1,000-metre specialist, Hainan Dragon, who has blossomed since moving to John Moore. Tomodachi is one of those strange performers who has the ability to dominate in the right grade, but then finds it hard to make an impact when promoted. Class Six is his milieu as he showed on his seasonal reappearance when scoring by 23/4 lengths from the Ivan Allan-trained Jet Speed, with Light Sensation a further 31/4 lengths back in third.
That win came from a rating of 20 and he was immediately bumped up considerably in the ratings and forced to compete in Class Five. This is his first start since that and he has been able to drop back down into Class Six as he has slipped down the ratings scale to a mark just three pounds higher than from which he recorded that emphatic defeat of Jet Speed. It was a similar case last season when Tomodachi simply gobbled up his Class Six opponents when devouring Hidden Treasure by four lengths over today's course and distance of a mile, with Good Boy a further 33/4 lengths back in third.
Indeed, these extended distances have been a feature of Tomodachi's Class Six wins, stamping him as just a bit better than the average Class Six winner, let alone the normal Class Six performer. And Tomodachi's last run more than hinted at an imminent return to form. He was held up and then trapped wide for a run in the Class Five affair won by Smart Boy from Over The Blues. In the circumstances, Tomodachi was by no means disgraced to run ninth of 13 and this is a distinctly easier affair. The weight is a bit of a problem as he must shoulder 138 pounds. But against that he has scored under 134 and 135 pounds and there don't appear to be too many dangers.
Win Tack is one that should be kept safe now that Eric Legrix is booked for the ride. When Wong Tang-ping calls for Legrix it is always a significant booking and Win Tack will be that much fitter for his run last weekend. Happy Birthday must also be respected as he will relish the move up in distance to a mile and holds his form well in the mornings. Mr Nice Guy is a big form danger, but he may just have lost a little edge in his work and will also be at cramped odds. Jungle Deer and Renowned Gift are tierce threats in this grade but a bigger quinella hope, at goods odds too, could well be Lucky Pal who is very well handicapped.
Time and time again, the horse to follow is the one that has changed stables, especially if they move from a battling trainer to one of the top-liners. John Moore has now had Hainan Dragon for three months in which time he has run twice, disappointing at the Valley (where there were valid excuses) before bolting home under Munro down the straight 1,000-metre course here last time out. That victory from Flying Tiger served to confirm what trackwork had indicated, that Moore had found the key to this Irish import who was also a straight-course winner before export. It is highly significant that Moore, the master race-planner, has waited for another race down the straight before starting his dappled grey again.
And his meticulous strategy appears to have paid dividends and it is hard to conceive a weaker Class Two dash down the straight than today's nine-runner affair. A repetition of his defeat of Flying Tiger should be good enough but, given the way that Hainan Dragon has progressed in the mornings, there is every reason to expect further improvement. Chris Cheung Ting-pong's Sun-Rise could give him most to do. Sun-Rise did not get the run of the race at all when just failing to cope with Parkview Fame last time when trapped wide and disputing the lead for most of the way.