Emerging talents Victor The Winner (128lb) and Howdeepisyourlove (119lb) are each chasing a hat-trick of wins and on Saturday afternoon (15 April) the pair will collide for the first time in a red-hot Class 2 Nurturing Talent 1200m Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin.
Victor The Winner made every post a winner in his Class 2 debut at Sha Tin last start, while Howdeepisyourlove waltzed home at Happy Valley last month for consecutive Class 3 triumphs – hard-held across the finishing line by Karis Teetan in the latest of the two, incurring an 11-point rating hike in the process to reach a career-high mark of 84.
Both seem destined for loftier targets with the 93-rating Victor The Winner – trained by Danny Shum – pairing with Zac Purton from barrier nine as he chases a fifth win at his seventh start. Howdeepisyourlove will be tested in Class 2 for the first time this weekend.
“He (Victor The Winner) drew a good gate and he had a light weight on his back. He was softened up a little bit through the early to middle stages of the race and then did a good job, I thought, to kick strongly in the straight and get the job done (last start).
“We’re faced with a new scenario here because Nervous Witness is quite quick and he’s drawn underneath us and Victor The Winner has done all of his winning in front and on the fence – so he’s obviously going to have to sit outside the leader and handle all of that.
“He’s on a little bit of a quicker back up – Danny’s been vocal in saying the horse is better with his runs spaced but it was either run in this race or we had to wait a long time for the next one and we’re rolling the dice with him. We have the quick back-up and a racing style that hasn’t been successful for him previously to contend with, so we’ll see how he goes,” Purton said.