Livewire Irish jockey John Egan, an absolute whizz since he arrived here eager to grab the first real opportunity he had to shine on the big stage since his days as Ireland's champion apprentice, is strongly fancied to take this evening's fourth event on Huge Hope on Happy Valley's split Melbourne Cup spectacular.
The first thing all day is to watch your bets. Huge Hope is officially contesting the fourth event, but this is only because the first three races on the card are simulcast live from today's Foster's Melbourne Cup with the great staying handicap being the opening event on the card.
Huge Hope's contest is the first of the Happy Valley meeting proper which kicks off at the usual 7.30pm post time. But it is officially the fourth.
The Peter Chapple-Hyam trained youngster has only raced the once when showing bundles of speed from a bad draw to be up there on the pace on debut in the race won by Good Power from Fish King over 1,200 metres at Sha Tin. If anything Huge Hope probably raced too prominently for his own good on that occasion, but that is so often the case with inexperienced sorts from an outside draw. They have to be taught to jump and then they can end up seeing far too much daylight. It was the draw, as much as lack of hard racing condition, which brought Huge Hope undone last time and in the circumstances he put in a highly creditable effort to finish just three lengths fifth of the 14 runners behind Good Power.
It was an effort which had future winner written all over it, especially as he's a robust type who will almost certainly have derived considerable benefit from the outing. That is very much what his trackwork indicates. In his final serious gallop of last week he brained his stablemate Hurray, effortlessly pulling well clear.
Now Hurray is a well known also-ran, despite plummeting quickly into Class Six and on form is no yardstick to how a horse is working. But the weakness of Hurray's form is almost in inverse proportion to how he runs along in the mornings when not under full racing pressure. He's basically a four-furlong wonder in his races, but under work conditions can usually hold his own. The way Huge Hope shoved him aside, without even being asked a serious question, was an excellent trackwork sign.