Index can give Purton a Happy Sunday in the city
RECENT fortunes of trainer Manfred Man and jockey Zac Purton have served supporters well in the past fortnight, with the partnership delivering a couple of weekend winners in Robot Star and Patch Of Cosmo.
The combination has presently provided bettors with a 30 percent strike-rate so far this season, and it looks likely they will improve further on that figure when they team up twice on Sunday’s card.
PATCH OF STARS has an obvious chance in the Able Friend Handicap (8.40am) over six furlongs. He was caught out by an awkward gate when behind Sky Trust last month but finds himself more favourably placed in gate five this time around.
In the same race, it’s worth keeping an eye on MASTEROFMYUNIVERSE from the John Size yard who looks set to hit peak form. The five-year-old ran his best race of the season at Happy Valley recently, finishing strongly despite suffering traffic problems down the home straight and is better suited to being back at Sha Tin.
Purton is also a notable booking aboard the Man-trained HAPPY INDEX in the following contest, the six-furlong Aerovelocity Handicap (9.15am).
The four-year-old was an encouraging third on his debut behind rival Rising Force over the course and distance on New Year’s Day, when ridden by Jerry Chau. The winner was hugely impressive on that occasion but will need luck once again from the outside draw and has a hefty nine-pound penalty to carry.
The fact Purton has partnered Happy Index in his last two-track gallops suggests that the son of I Am Invincible has been primed for this contest and he may be hard to beat.
Dazzling Fit is likely to be all the rage in the finale, the Beauty Generation Handicap (9:50am) over a mile.
The son of Ribchester had been touted as one of the main contenders for the upcoming Classic Four-Year-Old Series and, on paper, he meets less demanding opposition here.
That said, there are some tough and seasoned campaigners in the line-up. Most notably Beauty Alliance and SILO, with the latter racing off an attractive handicap mark.
The Jamie Richards-trained galloper has certainly caught the eye in his last couple of races. He has a favourable draw in gate two and with jockey Luke Ferraris doing the steering, he looks capable of scoring an overdue victory.
POINTERS
Patch Of Stars 8.40am Sha Tin
Masterofmyuniverse e/w 8.40am Sha Tin
Happy Index 9.15am Sha Tin
Silo e/w 9.50am Sha Tin