A seeded Triple Trio carrying a jackpot of HK$13 million will attract punters like bees to a honey pot at the Chinese New Year meeting at Sha Tin on Tuesday, and banking on a pair of Richard Gibson-trained runners can deliver a share of an expected monster payout.An estimated dividend of HK$20 million awaits anyone able to crack the exotic bet, and Kensworth Kid and Glacier Blue - both ridden by Olivier Doleuze - can break their maiden status and bookend bets as bankers in the first and last leg
A seeded Triple Trio carrying a jackpot of HK$13 million will attract punters like bees to a honey pot at the Chinese New Year meeting at Sha Tin on Tuesday, and banking on a pair of Richard Gibson-trained runners can deliver a share of an expected monster payout.
An estimated dividend of HK$20 million awaits anyone able to crack the exotic bet, and Kensworth Kid and Glacier Blue - both ridden by Olivier Doleuze - can break their maiden status and bookend bets as bankers in the first and last legs.
The maddeningly inconsistent Kensworth Kid has been a head scratcher for punters and his trainers alike. After eight up-and-down runs for Sean Woods last term, a switch to Gibson's yard didn't reap any immediate benefits in terms of performance.
But what could bring about a change in fortunes is a drop into Class Five. Last start, at his first try in the cellar grade, Kensworth Kid finished runner-up over 2,200m at Happy Valley. Dropping back to 1,800m at the bigger track and drawn well (five) against a weak field, he looks sure to figure.
Woods lost Kensworth Kid, but gained Perfect Ten (Tim Clark) and his last-start effort in the grade indicated he would be thereabouts in these staying races. Barrier four allows Clark to sit handy without doing much work. In what could be a slowly run race from the 1,800m start, positioning will be key.
Inconsistency is a common trait among the worst horses in town, so it is hard to know who will turn up, but take a chance on Peter Ng Bik-kuen's Mr Speedy (Alvin Ng Ka-chun) and Sunseeker (Derek Leung Ka-chun).
In the final leg, play a double banker with Glacier Blue and Follow The Wind (Douglas Whyte).
Glacier Blue steps up to the mile for the first time at his fourth start, a move he should appreciate after a solid three-run lead-in. The four-year-old was really warming to the task at the end of 1,400m last start and would have finished much closer had he not being stopped dead in his tracks when striking interference late.
Dennis Yip Chor-hong's Follow The Wind looks the likely favourite after drawing barrier four and coming off a tough last-start effort at Happy Valley. The finishing position reads sixth, beaten nearly four lengths, but he was used up early when Tye Angland gambled on going forward from a wide gate but was forced to drop back to near the tail after failing to find cover.