From RACING POST in Hong KongIt's a sharp drop in the class of horse at Happy Valley tonight after last weekend's feast but there are still winners to find, and the Michael Chang Chun-wai-trained Kick Serve is overdue to become one in the Cheung Sha Handicap (1,200m).Without even a trophy race on which to focus, the Class Threes are the main events and Kick Serve (Zac Purton) looks one of the better bets on the card.While Kick Serve was tried often at the extended Happy Valley mile in his earlie

From RACING POST in Hong Kong

It's a sharp drop in the class of horse at Happy Valley tonight after last weekend's feast but there are still winners to find, and the Michael Chang Chun-wai-trained Kick Serve is overdue to become one in the Cheung Sha Handicap (1,200m).

Without even a trophy race on which to focus, the Class Threes are the main events and Kick Serve (Zac Purton) looks one of the better bets on the card.

While Kick Serve was tried often at the extended Happy Valley mile in his earlier races, and did win at that trip, Chang seems to have settled on him as a sprinter more recently and kept him to this course.

First-up this season, with gate 12 against him, Kick Serve rattled home from the rear to finish third to Best Win and advertised an early win was in store.

Drawing better last time, Kick Serve was much closer in running but being handy to the solid pace might have cost him the race ultimately, even though there was only a nose margin.

Coming from farther back in the field, Jumbo Gold (Vincent Ho Chak-yiu) was able to overhaul him in the shadows of the post because the leaders had done too much midrace.

Purton has been among the winners again at the past two meetings and he will give Kick Serve every chance from gate two in a race where there looks to be plenty of cheap speed to run at - Ride On The Fire, Emperor Blitz, Smart Kids and Brilliant Proposal look pace influences but the winning chances are elsewhere.

Consistent Gamekeepers (Douglas Whyte) goes to a wider draw this time around, but there wasn't a lot wrong with his fifth to promising Genuine Leader last time out. He may have to be ridden more conservatively early but he has raced well that way before. (racing.scmp.com)