Five-year-old Pearl Win will never make the annals of the all time greats but he has found a race to suit in the France Galop Cup (1,200m) at Happy Valley tonight if he can put his best foot forward, reports the Racing Post in Hong Kong.
The Tony Millard-trained gelding has placed just once this season in nine starts but has drifted down the ratings as a result and become well enough handicapped to see him competitive again and tonight's race shapes up the right way.
Those runs this season might not read too well on paper, but Pearl Win (Karis Teetan) had a series of wide draws during mid-season, was tried and failed to handle the dirt on one occasion and was tried at 1,650m and didn't see it out on another.
Back to a sprint, low draw and light weight, he looks to have combination of factors working for him that make him a serious chance in what is relatively open race.
The pace is difficult to predict - only The Prince, Hella Hedge and Caga Force appear to be potential leaders, so the speed boils down to what their jockeys do, how badly they want the front or whether they are prepared to disengage and take a sit. And all of that might depend on whether any pattern of bias has appeared in the earlier races.
In any case, Pearl Win is quick enough to find himself just behind those leaders on the rail and not having a lot to do during the run, which is how he has won his three races to date. He has finished in the first four at six of his nine runs over tonight's course, boxed on well for fourth last time in a slowly run sprint home and looks presented with another chance to be in the finish again.
Cour Valant (Zac Purton) is another relatively infrequent winner but could find himself on Pearl Win's back in running to the turn and he finishes his races off strongly.