Liffey River can provide top English jockey Kevin Darley with a welcome winner in the fifth event on the Sha Tin dirt tonight.
Darley has had surprisingly few opportunities to shine during his three-month Club Jockey stint, but is worth supporting with some degree of confidence tonight.
He is in the top echelon of riders in England and is well used to riding on artificial racing surfaces as three tracks there - Lingfield Park, Southwell and Wolverhampton - race on a variety of all-weather compounds. He also has a good knowledge of the improving Liffey River, whom he rode last time out to run a close second to Regent's Star over 2,000 metres at Sha Tin.
That outing, where Liffey River had to really knuckle down and battle alongside Regent Star, seems to have done the son of Irish River a power of good as he has looked much more together in his work since.
Trainer John Moore hasn't asked him for too much of an effort, that is not Moore's style of training, but the work Liffey River has done since suggests the penny has really dropped and he now knows what racing is all about. The youngster should also be suited by the dirt and a move to 2,400 metres.
Darley had him tucked in just behind the speed set by Flying Horse and then taken up by Most Delighted when second to Regent's Star. Liffey River sat comfortably just behind the van at that 2,000-metre trip and that points to him being able to basically take up whatever position Darley opts for at this 2,400-metre trip.
