Bottomweight Iron Horse can steam home for DT punters
THE Double Trio bet is all about value but there is little likelihood of a whopping payout at tomorrow night's disappointing Happy Valley equitrack meeting.
The first leg features three out-and-out equitrack stars but, in the hunt for a price, punters may wish to take a chance on bottomweight Iron Horse although he does not fulfil the normal requirements for a banker bet.
This is the first time the Peter Tse Yan-sid galloper has been on the synthetic surface and he is also untried at the 1,600 metres - two major strikes against him.
On the plus side, however, is very good recent form and a plunge down the ratings that has seen him come from 70 at the start of last season to be on 55 tomorrow night and perched at the bottom of Class Three.
It is worth noting that Iron Horse, in the past, has not been that far away from horses like Maraheb and Helene Star and, on his best form, would be good enough to give this field a real race.
Iron Horse is clearly a risk but there was a lot to like about his last run when he came home forcefully along the rails to claim second place behind All Thrills who is not a bad type. He edged out David Hill's well regarded Lionheart for the quinella.
This is only his fourth run of the season and he is primed for a showing. At his first start of the campaign over 1,200 metres he finished two-and-a-quarter lengths off Natural Heritage and less than two from second-placed Golden Luck, who franked the form.
Regular partner Jimmy K. H. Ting is aboard tomorrow night and he has drawn favourably in barrier two although, in the past, Iron Horse has tended to come from behind. But he has also been sharp enough to win down the straight 1,000-metre course previouslyand can easily muster the necessary speed to be handy.
The clear and very obvious dangers are equitrack stars Love Match and Speed Way with last-start winner Jarnac also a major hope. But he has gone up eight pounds to 139 and may find it difficult to concede 19 pounds to Iron Horse.
It should be between them although last-start winner Kwacha scored handsomely. But he has now gone up a class and should find it harder.
Garlic Lad is the logical banker for the second leg of the DT where he is involved in a field of just seven going to the start of this Class Two, 1,050-metre event.
He is a fast type who has scored in good time over this trip previously. He is badly drawn and may get touched off but is unlikely to run out of the first three.
Topweight Winged Foot also has claims but is untried on the surface and it could pay to keep a watch on Irish import Fortune Winner, starting for the first time. This one is well up to winning a reasonable Hongkong race. He was lightly raced in Ireland and did score in a six-furlong event at the provincial track of Ballinrobe.
The surroundings may not have been the equal of Sha Tin - but the performance was exemplary.
