bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Robin Parke

CHAMPION trainer John Moore will be keeping his fingers firmly crossed when classy Happy Money tackles the fourth event at Happy Valley tonight.

 The four-year-old is a potential top-class performer currently running off a rating of 100 and a stylish win tonight would see him edge on to the fringes of recognition as a contender for a place in April's International Bowl.

 Concert King, back in work after a viral infection, leads the Hongkong quartet, which also includes Carry On Winning and, if he's right, the gallant grey Quicken Away.

 Moore had Bowl hopes for his top flight Australian import Fastabob but he bled on Saturday and that puts the gelding out of action for the season.

 As a result, the stable's hopes for Bowl recognition could well be carried by Happy Money who scored in tremendous style over 1,235 metres at the Valley last time, making it two wins on the trot.

 Happy Money could not have been more impressive in his two wins and he will probably be at short odds to make it the hat-trick tonight.

 But Happy Money was badly hit by the virus, which struck the Moore stable quite hard when it hit Hongkong racing late last year, and only the race tonight will show whether he has come out of it totally unscathed.

 If he has, and there is every reason to believe all will be well, then Moore has a top-line performer on his hands.

 Happy Money has certainly looked the part in his work and topped it off with a fine last gallop on Monday morning, suggesting that the champion trainer has him absolutely right for this event.

 Although his successes have been gained over the longer sprints, there is no doubt that Happy Money has the class and the speed to be the major threat in this 10-runner Classes One and Two short sprint.

 He has drawn barrier two and may not actually beat out the likes of Tiger's Spirit on his inside or the gallant veteran Morning Patrol who is on his immediate outside.

 But Darren Beadman can easily sit just off the pace and the manner in which Happy Money has taken care of previous opposition suggests he will be too strong in the run to the line.

 Morning Patrol has had a tremendous career in Hongkong and even in his twilight years has been doing the right thing by punters.

 A star of the Geoff Lane stable - giving the trainer his first winner - Morning Patrol has already won two this season, over the longer Sha Tin sprint and then back to tonight's trip.

 And, amazingly, as a 10-year-old Morning Patrol clocked his best time for the short Valley sprint when winning two starts back. That was a sizzling 56.1 and it would be good enough to go close to winning this.

 As he has drawn well it might be Morning Patrol showing the way from Tiger's Spirit and the old fellow will not lack resolution when the chips are down in the concluding stages.

 Trainer Lawrie Fownes has taken time with Super Structure who won at the first time of asking for his new stable back before the virus-induced stoppage.

 Super Structure still has it to prove against a couple of these but his work has been good and his last-start win impressive so he does have genuine each-way claims here.

 King Prawn will carry the hopes of Patrick Biancone and the stable's many followers and his form is impossible to fault.

 He won over the longer sprint at Happy Valley last time in good style having simply hacked up over the same distance in lower company two starts before that.

 Sandwiched in between was a run down the straight 1,000 metres where he failed to peg back shock winner Monkey King. That form is not overly sound but it was a difficult race and King Prawn lost few admirers.

 Having shown no aversion to the tight Valley track in two fine wins, he is worth gambling on to be involved in at least the quinella tonight. He has gone up again in class but runs with authority over sprint trips and could possibly tip them all out.

 Old-timer Aristocrat has a liking for the Valley track and came to do something in his last race at Sha Tin before fading. It's hard to see him in this but punters looking for a long-priced leg for the Double Trio or Tierce could do worse than take a chance.

 Adamant should have won a Class Two short sprint two starts back and was then anonymous in a longer sprint at Sha Tin. This is harder but the stable has run into a bit of form lately and Adamant could do something.

 Dashing Dragon starts for the first time this season and will find it hard while Duet Danseurs was not disgraced when finishing fourth on equitrack last week over the short sprint.

 He carries very little weight tonight with claimer Vicki C. W. Choi to ride and he has, of course, won over this trip.

 If Happy Money reproduces his best then this could be all over. If he fails, then it's a lottery.



Moore's Money leads way