Frenchman Doleuze in for a big party at Sha Tin
No one celebrates a win like jockey Olivier Doleuze and Triple Trio players may have to join the party at Sha Tin tomorrow as the likeable Frenchman looks to have terrific chances in the first two legs.
With an $8.2 million jackpot to start the pool off, Doleuze has two key mounts in Master Able, for trainer Gary Ng Ting-keung and Caspar Fownes's Check Mate.
Master Able's scoreline of no wins from 13 starts is not a true indication of the ability of the Woodman gelding.
On numerous occasions over varying distances, the five-year-old showed glimpses of form last season and at his most recent outing on June 12 he made substantial ground over the final stages to finish seventh to Enriching after rearing at the start and losing his winning chance.
Of vital importance tomorrow for Master Able is that he drops to Class Five for the first time and has come up with the prized barrier one.
Douglas Whyte is reunited with Sparkle and from barrier three, he is likely to track Doleuze's every move. Whyte combined with Sparkle early last season to win two races on the trot in Class Five and his only other mount on the six-year-old resulted in a third placing.
Other worthy inclusions in the opening leg are on-pacers Timber City, Constellation, Silly Boy and Pleasant Journey and the backmarker, Spokesman.
In the second leg, Check Mate showed he had come back from a spell in good order when running home well behind Adaikali over the unsuitable 1,000m trip.
Doleuze has ridden Check Mate, who will relish the rise to 1,400m, on four previous starts for the impressive statistics of one win and three placings and has the right feel for the horse's strong, run-home style.
On-pacers Telecom Superboss, Qi's Pet and Quick News shape as the biggest threat to Check Mate, while others worth including are Lucky Dragon and Award.
The final leg is an a difficult affair but the Andy Leung Ting-wah-trained Fortune Warrior may be the safest banker option. Fortune Warrior has been unable to break through for a win in 12 starts but has five placings to his credit.
He resumed from a spell with a close fifth to Master Marauder, and the effort was better than it appears on paper as he was wide for the entire journey, yet kept on well to the line.
Although not tested over 1,800m in the past, Fortune Warrior is by Bahhare, the same sire as Best Gift, from a Half Iced mare, so he is bred to get a distance. The other positive for Fortune Warrior is that the event looks like being run at genuine tempo through Master Marauder, Danske Very Much and Travel Leader.
The query runner in the race is Syllabus, now trained by Ferraris. The four-year-old really came into himself in the second half of the season, winning his last two starts over 2,000m and 2,400m respectively.
The 1,800m may prove to be below his distance range, although he looks to have a bright staying future.
Shining Day, who should end up with the run of the race, must be included as one of the main chances, as does Gold Sandfield. Best of the on-pacers are Master Marauder and Cotton Ball.