Australian jockey Tye Angland gets his best chance yet at a Group One victory after Go Baby Go came out on top in the first contest that matters - the barrier draw for the HK$6 million Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup (1,000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Inside draws have been something of a disadvantage for several seasons but this term seems to have produced a new level of bias to horses against the outside rail, but it isn't something Angland has had to lie awake worrying about because that's where Go Baby Go will start.
From the 10 draw in a field of 10, Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained Go Baby Go has terrific gate speed to put himself in the picture from the start. Amber Sky (Joao Moreira) looks sure to come out humming from barrier six and look for the front, from where he has scored his five successes, but Angland has the horsepower to stay in touch with Amber Sky and even put the pressure on him a fair way out.
That was a tactic Angland employed twice before when opposed to Amber Sky and the younger horse finished behind him both times, albeit in one with some internal bleeding issues.
As Go Baby Go has shown himself able to cope well with 1,200 metres, he has claims to being the stronger horse, yet he has the speed to match Amber Sky's major weapon, sheer pace.
Yip looked after Go Baby Go well in his early days, not starting him off until his four-year-old season, then not overtaxing the horse with much racing even then.
As a result, Go Baby Go has continued to improve through last season and into this one to have himself established now amongst the better sprint horses, especially up the straight, where he has won seven of 10 appearances. If Go Baby Go and Amber Sky did get into a chest-bumping duel up front, the surprise packet of the race could be another recent bloomer, Charles The Great (Douglas Whyte). (from racing.scmp.com)