bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Robin Parke

THE San Miguel Silver Tankard, the oldest sponsored race on the calendar, could see glasses of the sponsor's product raised to Irish champion jockey, Mick Kinane tonight.

  He has the mount on good Irish import, Happy Guy, and trainer Brian Kan Ping-chee has him tightened right up for a crack at this good Class One event.

 Happy Guy won the Classic Trial last season but was less than impressive overall and it has only been this season that the best has been seen of the five-year-old.

 And the best has been impressive. He was short-headed by River Verdon in a 1,600-metre event in November when Kinane rode him and supporters of the favourite had a moment's worry.

 Kinane said: ''I was sure Happy Guy would run a good race that day and there was very little in it at the line. He gave plenty and I was very happy with the run.

 ''I would have ridden him in the International Bowl but then the chance came to ride Winning Partners and that was that. But he still ran a good race in the Bowl.''  Happy Guy was a fast-finishing fourth to the Kinane-ridden Winning Partners in the December showpiece and the step back up to 1,600 metres today will be bang in his favour.

 Kan has certainly looked after this fellow and had the Silver Tankard picked out some time ago.

 ''I have always liked this horse. Maybe he did take more time than I thought but he is a good horse and he does not quit easily.

 ''This is a good field but he is good enough to win it,'' Kan said.

 There will be plenty of attention centred on McBrave from the Ivan Allan stable who starts for the second time in Hong Kong.

 McBrave is entered for the Hong Kong Derby, the top domestic race in the territory, and his Classic credentials will be put to the test here.

 McBrave was raced by Allan in Australia and has impeccable form. He won six times from 15 starts before export to Hong Kong and at his last start finished third in a Group One event over 2,400 metres.

 More significantly, however, was his success in a Group Three event over 1,600 metres. That is top class form and certainly reads well enough for a Class One race in Hong Kong.

 McBrave finished just over six lengths adrift of Maraheb over 1,400 metres on his Hong Kong debut and has a bit to find on a couple of others who finished in front of him in that event.

 Kadbridge and Dashing were ahead of him but he can turn over the latter although the Lawrie Fownes-trained Kadbridge remains a major threat.

 There was no particular indication in his first-up run that McBrave is a major Derby contender but any horse takes time to find his feet in Hong Kong and the horse definitely needs longer than 1,400 metres.

   McBrave has worked well enough but his chances today are really being assessed on his excellent overseas form. But if he is to get into the Derby and be a major threat then a forward showing would really be expected in the Silver Tankard.

   Gerald Mosse, who struck so impressively with four winners at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, partners Kadbridge and will be looking to ride another winner for Fownes.

   They combined with Courageous and Crown Commander on Wednesday.

   Kadbridge is really running right into top form and his last run over 1,400 metres when ridden by the currently-suspended Darren Gauci, was excellent.

   He came from last in the field of 14 to storm home and finish third to Maraheb and in a few more strides he would have been up with the winner.

   There was only a length-and-a-half in it and Kadbridge is ready now to run a top race over this trip.

   In the past he has been particularly effective over 1,400 metres but the way in which he is now racing suggests that the extra 200 metres is what he is after and the Silver Tankard could fall to a stable that is very much in form at the minute.

   Fortune Leader has drawn the complete outside and David Hill's stable apprentice, Raymond S.M. Tam, is on board today with Basil Marcus switching to McBrave for Allan.

   Marcus rode Fortune Leader in two early wins over this trip - one on the opening day of the season - and last time out he was partnered by Tony Cruz in the International Cup where he was not disgraced.

   It was a masterly training performance by Hill to get two wins out of the Irish import over a trip that is considered short of his best.

  He did it at the start of the season when Fortune Leader was fresh and it must be doubtful if the horse is really suited by this trip at the halfway stage of the season.

         But Fortune Leader has never raced in better heart and he will almost certainly go off at a very attractive price. He is worth considering for a tierce spot at least.

   In a race that certainly does not lack interest, Walter Swinburn rides Deerfield for Neville Begg.

   Deerfield has had a chequered Hong Kong career following a bad couple of virus bouts and a mysterious back complaint. It may just be that he is not quite the horse he was - or promised to be.

   But he has been looked after superbly by Begg and he must be conceded a definite chance on his last start second over 1,800 metres when he failed narrowly to get to Our Pal, ridden by visiting Declan Murphy.

   The 1,600-metre trip will suit him well enough but this is very much a test of Deerfield's credentials as a top class local campaigner.



Happy days for Kinane fans