Race dynamics to determine whether Andoyas returns a winner again

07/03/2017

By Andrew Hawkins

Jockey Zac Purton believes that David Hall-trained Andoyas has what it takes to go back-to-back in Class 3 company at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (8 March) – as long as the race pans out for him.

“He’s quite an honest horse, but he’s one-dimensional,” Purton said at Sha Tin trackwork on Tuesday morning (7 March). “He’s got no speed and you can’t use him early, you’ve just got to let him get into his rhythm and then you’re a victim of how the race is being run.”

Andoyas, who tackles 11 rivals in the Class 3 Gloucester Handicap (1800m) on Wednesday, was sent out as the 3.5 favourite at his last start in late January, a Class 3 handicap over the Happy Valley 2200m. That day, Purton settled third from the tail on the Lando gelding, found clear running at the top of the stretch and the horse responded, only to get involved in a bumping duel with John Size-trained Easy Hedge.

“The inside horse shifted out a little bit and bumped him and that put him off balance,” Purton said. “So it was a good effort for him to pick himself back up with only 150m to go and come back to nail Happy Contender on the line. He was strong late too.”

The last-start win was the German-bred galloper’s first victory from 15 Hong Kong outings, and Purton believes there is more improvement to come from the six-year-old at his fourth run this season.

“He’s only a lightly-framed horse, he’s only 1000 pounds or so,” the Australian rider said. “But he’s working well, he’s in a good space at the moment and I expect him to run well. It’s all down to the dynamics of the race though, that’s most important for him.”

Among his biggest dangers is Tony Millard-trained Giant Turtle, with Sam Clipperton getting the call-up on the Zabeel five-year-old for the first time.

Giant Turtle had won two times in Class 4 before he stepped back up to Class 3 last time out, the bay finishing fifth to Danny Shum’s Inventor but only beaten three-quarters of a length.

“He ran in Class 3 last start and he proved that he is well and truly up to it,” said Clipperton, who is coming off a win in the Hong Kong Macau Trophy aboard John Moore-trained Invincible Dragon last Sunday (5 March). “He’s in good form this preparation and he goes very well at Happy Valley. He’s got a nice draw, we can put him in a position where he is comfortable and he should run very well. Things should pan out from the inside gate.

“If he puts in the same performance as what he has been putting in this campaign, he will be right in the finish again.”

The Australian jockey will make a short visit to his hometown of Sydney on Saturday to ride for the first time since starting his Hong Kong contract and hopes that he can head there on a high.

“It’s been an amazing season already,” Clipperton said. “To have had 26 winners already and to be performing to my best, I’m very happy. But I would love to get another winner before I head back to Sydney, Mr Millard and I teamed up together recently for a winner (Super Clan) so hopefully there is another one coming.”

Others in the Class 3 1800m affair include G3 Italian 2,000 Guineas (1600m) runner-up Dr Win Win, unplaced through three Hong Kong starts, David Ferraris-trained The Sylph and Size’s last-start winner Enreaching.

The Gloucester Handicap is the seventh of eight races on the Happy Valley card and is set to jump at 10:15pm, with the opener, the Class 5 Luard Handicap (1000m), to get the meeting underway at 7:15pm.