From ALAN AITKEN of RACING POST HKIt won't be the first time that Douglas Whyte has held the fate of a race in his hands when he climbs aboard Cheer at Happy Valley tonight in the Kwai Fong Handicap (1,650m), but he could hold the fate of the 1010 Million Challenge as well. Cheer looks the horse to beat in the Class Three contest and victory will put the pressure right on the Million Challenge leader, Turbo King, when he tackles the last race. For a series that takes in so many races over a fi

From ALAN AITKEN of RACING POST HK

It won't be the first time that Douglas Whyte has held the fate of a race in his hands when he climbs aboard Cheer at Happy Valley tonight in the Kwai Fong Handicap (1,650m), but he could hold the fate of the 1010 Million Challenge as well. Cheer looks the horse to beat in the Class Three contest and victory will put the pressure right on the Million Challenge leader, Turbo King, when he tackles the last race.

For a series that takes in so many races over a five-month period, it is almost a surprise how often the annual Happy Valley contest for the HK$650,000 first prize comes down to the results of the final couple of races and so it will be tonight.

The Dennis Yip Chor-hong-trained Loyal Army won the series last year with a fourth placing on the final night of the contest, and perhaps it will come down to something as minor that decides the issue this time.

But the leaders Turbo King, Fun Rider and Cheer will all be strongly fancied to win their races and land the Million Challenge prize, and even Romantic City can steal half of the title if he wins the last event and a few other events fall into place.

Cheer comes back to Class Three after being beaten in Class Two last time after the slow getaway that has almost become his trademark, narrowly beating Fun Rider (Brett Prebble) for third and he will be favoured to edge him again.

A cleaner start and Cheer can be three-back along the rail and inside Fun Rider, not a great beginner himself, and the pace of the race looks a factor for both.

Based on his last outing at Sha Tin, Penglai Xianzi could represent the pace as Matthew Chadwick told stewards he did not want to fight the keen-goer when he wanted to run - as he usually does-- and those tactics look better suited on the turning Valley circuit.

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