A switch to Happy Valley and a low draw on the C+3 course should help Beauty Love return to the winner’s enclosure in the opening leg of the Triple Trio tomorrow night.
Beauty Love won’t know himself jumping from gate two after a series of wide draws and the Tony Cruz-trained three-year-old looks well positioned to take advantage with the rail out.
Quite simply, Beauty Love has never drawn anything resembling an inside barrier and after jumping from barrier seven on debut in a griffin race in December, he has been particularly unlucky at the random barrier draw.
After drawing gates 13, 13, 13 and 11 at his last four starts, yet winning once, placing another and running reasonably well on the other two occasions, slotting into gate two should mean slightly less work early and that could turn out to be key.
Whatever the perceived bias, a lower draw usually works in a horse’s favour on the C+3 course, and Beauty Love looks the right type for the circuit on his first trip there.
After a strong win two starts back over 1,800m at Sha Tin, a step up to 2,000m proved too tough a month ago, and 1,800m on the smaller track looks much more appealing.
Punters will have to ignore a poor barrier trial on a sodden all-weather track last week, but there wasn’t much to be gained by pushing the young horse along with some pretty smart types in those conditions and Purton sat up over the closing stages.
The pace scenario should see Beauty Love either laying up in the box seat or getting a soft time in front, with little in the way of obvious leaders, although Kei Chiong Ka-kei could be sent forward to sit close on Ambassadorship and Super Silks (Douglas Whyte) led over 2,000m last time out at Sha Tin.
Joao Moreira will keep Smart Union close to the speed and he should be included, along with another who will look to sit close without necessarily wanting the front, Super Sweet Orange (Neil Callan), with blinkers on for the first time and up in trip.
Perhaps First Sight Love (Nash Rawiller) is the one to throw in as a blow-out result at odds as his rating continues to slip lower.
The second leg of the TT is a 1,650m Class Four where the speed map reads well for Oscar Miracle (Moreira).
Even though Ricky Yiu Poon-fai‘s five-year-old hasn’t won for more than 18 months, an uncontested lead is a possibility and he is racing well enough to take advantage.
Robust Momentum (Vincent Ho Chak-yiu) is the danger after returning to form last start and getting blinkers back on here, and he won’t be far away in the run either.
Taking Oscar Miracle and Robust Momentum as double bankers is an option in a very weak race, with Super Sprinter (Purton), California Cherish (Matthew Chadwick) and Telephatia (Ben So Tik-hung) the other chances.
The final leg is the Indian Recreation Club Challenge Cup and looms as an incredibly difficult race on paper.
Take Red Marvel (Chadwick) as banker from Chater Dream (Karis Teetan), Little Island (Gerald Mosse) and Trendy Win (So).
