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Robin Parke

Former multiple champion trainer John Moore can start his season rolling with topweight Happy Monies in the main event at Happy Valley tonight.

 There are only eight acceptors for the Class Two longer sprint, which is the highest-rated race on the seven-event programme, and Happy Monies is backing up after an encouraging run at the same venue last week.

 Moore can usually be guaranteed to get a few early winners on the board, particularly with his older horses, but it has proved a bit tougher this time around.

 But Happy Monies looks ideal material, particularly as he will be better suited by the extra 200 metres this week.

 Happy Monies finished second to Debonair last time and the David Hill-trained speedster had looked a good thing in the race.

 Basically, that's the way it turned out, with Debonair winning handily for Felix Coetzee and Happy Monies chasing him home - and closing.

 Possibly more significantly with tonight's second race in mind, Happy Monies almost matched strides with Debonair early on in the 1,000-metre dash last week, although the Moore sprinter was drawn on the inside as opposed to Debonair being out wide.

 Coetzee also judged the pace extremely well but, even so, it was instructive to see Happy Monies move so well early.

 This time around he has not done quite so well at the barrier and will jump from gate six, but there is not as much speed in the race this time.

 With the run under his belt and the distance more in his favour, it is not too difficult to see Happy Monies making all.

 In fact, over half of this small field would find it difficult to win over this trip at this venue and the main chances must be found at the top of the handicap.

 Eric Legrix will partner Beas Glory for trainer Gary Ng Ting-keung, whose season took off with a double at Sha Tin on Saturday night.

 Beas Glory will also find this trip and track to his liking as he has shown in the past and rates as the main threat and logical quinella hope. He did not actually win a race last season but ran a number of placings and had a fairly demanding campaign.

 He has worked well and looks in good shape for an early crack at the money. Arguably his best run last season was course and distance in early December when he finished second to Danswinner.

 The Wong Tang-ping youngster was all the rage and, although he failed as a short-priced favourite first time up this campaign, Danswinner would be a fair yardstick for this event tonight.

 If there are to be any weaknesses in Happy Monies then Beas Glory looks the ideal horse to expose them and take full advantage.

 Dance Control, with champion jockey Basil Marcus up, is the other runner who merits attention.

 For a while, trainer David Hayes seemed slightly unsure as to what was the best distance for Dance Control but basically settled on the longer sprint at both courses.

 Dance Control is an honest individual with enough ability and dash to be a consideration in a race like this and he has drawn better than his two main rivals.

 This will be a race where Marcus is likely to be at his most vigorous round a course he has always enjoyed and it would be foolhardy to leave Dance Control out of quinella and tierce calculations.

 Of the others, it is a little difficult to get enthusiastic about the first-up hopes of Mission Sealed and Aspiration, while Sky Protector has not shown enough to suggest he could trouble the principals.

 Plenty-Plenty would be a possibility if fully fit but he may lack the edge - particularly against Happy Monies who is clearly rippling.

 Winning Glory won a distance event off a mark of 50 last season and is not well treated running off a handicap of 77.

 As his form is over distances - even allowing for stayers going well over a lesser trip first-up - it must be worth opposing him.

 Happy Monies can go one step better than last week and win here from Beas Glory and Dance Control.



Get Happy, get Monies