WERE THOSE THREE RISING STARS GOING BY?

Just as there are two-legged rising stars of the turf like those below, so it is with the four-legged kind.

Italy’s Umberto Rispoli

Mikael Barzalona with the great Frankie Dettori

France’s Maxime Guyon

Hong Kong’s Vincent Ho

On Saturday at Shatin and not Sunday as usual, three equine rising stars of Hong Kong step out in Race 7 – Loving Star(#2), Winning Leader(#3) and Peri Peri Saffron(#10), below.

The horse is one of our favorite new rising stars just as any Peri Peri dish is one our favourite foods.

Of course, some will think we’re bloody nuts as the horse has let its fans down in its starts these seasons when it has started being well-backed.

However, a jockey who has ridden the horse before has told us that its runs this season have not been bad at all and that the horse might have benefitted much from these. On Sunday, Howard Cheng handles the riding chores and we’re hoping to see a much better showing from the horse as it steps up in distance from 1400 metres to 1600 metres. Cheng is a bit of an in-and-out jockey so let’s hope we catch him on one of his better days. Drawn barrier six, he can either lead or take up a good position and storm through at the end.

As for Loving Star, it’s set to ride another very good race for trainer Michael Chang and with Ollie Doleuze up whereas Winning Leader will also appreciate the extra 200 meters it tackles. Its last run would have had him well-primed for this and he looks to have an enormous chance. Watch for it to come fast and hard from the back of the field and down the outside with Zac “Attack” Purton up and from its barrier draw of 11. If we were forced to pick a winner for this race, it would have to be the Rising Star that is also a Loving Star. Right, Zac?

Who knows, this just might be a race which sees a trio of three rising stars shooting for the moon and coming in 1,2 and 3.