Punters don't have to work too hard to find the main chances in tonight's featured Craigengower Cricket Club Challenge Cup (1,200m) at Happy Valley, but the David Hall-trained Vaugirard offers a value option to upset the apple cart. There is little doubt Douglas Whyte's mount, Tai Sing Yeh, will be the favourite with his unbeaten record after two starts and gate one to boot. The Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained three-year-old has won with some comfort on both outings and looks hard to beat. While his upward scope is obvious from a light career and unbeaten record, it is worth considering year-older Vaugirard (William Pike) has plenty of upside, too. He was lightly raced in Adelaide and showed promise before importation, had finally acclimatised well enough for Hall to apply the blinkers last time - which the gelding had worn in Australia - and was able to salute. And because Tai Sing Yeh and Vaugirard won within an hour of each other on December 16, there are comparisons to be made from the wins. Tai Sing Yeh enjoyed a great trip behind a good speed, despite his eight barrier, running away at the finish to win in 1 minute 9.58 seconds for the Valley 1,200m and carrying 114 pounds. Two races earlier, Vaugirard also won in Class Three carrying three pounds more than Tai Sing Yeh and running 0.26 seconds slower, but his final sprint from the 400m was considerably quicker than Tai Sing Yeh managed. It needed to be because, unlike his younger rival, Vaugirard made a mess of the start but their performances compare quite well. The start is a potential issue for him again, but the early pace doesn't look to be hot and that could allow Pike to get into the race even with a slow getaway, as he did last time. If he has Vaugirard within shooting range of Tai Sing Yeh on the home turn, then he offers the favourite a worthy match and is sure to be at better odds. This pair dominate the race with Medic Fortune (Brett Prebble) looking the next best, despite finishing second last at his latest run. The gelding had the advantage of an inside draw but he suffered the disadvantages of the same thing, too, strung up behind runners in the straight and unable to be properly tested. David Hall is enjoying a fabulous season with 19 winners at a strike rate of 15.1 per cent. He is in the top five in the trainer's standings: 5th
