Cheval Valiant attempts to accomplish what only Group-quality sprinters achieve

In recent times, only a trio of Group-quality sprinters have achieved the feat 66-rater Cheval Valiant attempts to accomplish in Sunday’s Class Three Shaw Alumni Handicap (1,000m) at Sha Tin.

Since the beginning of last season, the winners of 13 races on Sha Tin’s straight course have stopped the clock before it ticked over to 56 seconds.

Eleven of them have raced again – the exceptions are retired Alcari and, of course, Cheval Valiant – and only three have parlayed a sub-56-second win into a next-start success – the then David Hayes-trained duo, Nervous Witness and Super Wealthy, and Master Eight from Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s champion stable.

Adding additional weight to the argument it takes a high-calibre galloper to win on their first appearance subsequent to breaking 56 seconds over Sha Tin’s 1,000m trip – in either victory or defeat – are the peak ratings of the eight speedsters who have done that since September 2021 – Carroll Street (90), Classic Unicorn (93), Stoltz (95), Trillion Win (100), Nervous Witness (105), Master Eight (110), Lucky Patch (118) and Super Wealthy (119).

Furthermore, regardless of finishing positions, just four sprinters – Seven Heavens, Lucky More, Hong Kong Win and ubiquitous Nervous Witness – have recorded back-to-back sub-56 second times during the past 18 months, with their official marks ranging from 86 to 105.

The Shaw Alumni Handicap is one of the highlights of Sha Tin’s 10-race programme because it features the winners of four of the past five 1,000m straight contests, with Carroll Street the odd one out after Douglas Whyte, who also trains Cheval Valiant, ran him at Happy Valley on March 8. He finished ninth.

Cheval Valiant, Run Run Cool, Pleasant Endeavor and Flying High are the four last-start winners engaged in the Shaw Alumni Handicap, while Nicconi County and Season’s Wit – the latter of whom received a four-point penalty for placing second on his Hong Kong debut – compete off good runner-up performances.

With Cheval Valiant’s impost decreasing 11 pounds from 125 to 114 because he rises in class, Whyte is confident his speedster can prove his 55.80 winning time under Angus Chung Yik-lai was not a fluke.

“I think stepping up in grade with a lighter weight is going to be beneficial for him,” Whyte said right after Cheval Valiant’s scorching victory on March 11.

The Shaw Alumni Handicap barrier draw did not do any favours to Cheval Valiant, Whyte and Chung – who keeps the ride despite his claim dropping from 10 pounds to seven pounds earlier this week – with the four-year-old son of Charm Spirit allocated gate two.

However, gate two was Cheval Valiant’s starting stall two weeks ago when he crossed the field and found the running rail inside the opening furlong, covering the first 200m 0.45 faster than the Class Four standard and reaching the 400m marker 0.76 inside the grade benchmark. He led by at least two lengths throughout.

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Of the Shaw Alumni Handicap jockey bookings, the one that leaps off the page is Zac Purton’s decision to stick with Seasons Wit for Jamie Richards after he also rode Lor’s Run Run Cool on his last start.

Also worth noting are the excellent records of Alexis Badel – four wins and four minor placings from 15 rides – and Derek Leung Ka-chun – five wins and three minor placings from 16 rides – aboard Namjong Sings and Pleasant Endeavor, respectively.

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