Meaningful Star out to one-up Carroll Street with first-up win after a year out

Carroll Street returned a winner following a 259-day break at Sha Tin on Sunday, but the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Meaningful Star will look to one-up Douglas Whyte’s speedster when he returns at Happy Valley on Wednesday night after a year on the sidelines.

A winner under Zac Purton when last in action on February 23 last year, Meaningful Star makes his comeback from a ligament injury to his left fore in the Class Three Luard Handicap (1,650m) and will have to lump 130 pounds as he looks to again soak up race-day pressure and deliver for his connections.

Meaningful Star has had two trials ahead of his return to competitive action, finishing down the field behind Romantic Warrior before running on solidly behind Chiu Chow Spirit over 1,200m on the Happy Valley turf in an effort that showed he is ready to go back to the races.

While he might need the run, Meaningful Star returns over the course and distance of much of his best work, with his record over the extended Happy Valley mile standing at one win and three seconds from five starts.

After a handful of Sha Tin runs during an uneventful first Hong Kong season, Meaningful Star made his name as a Happy Valley specialist last campaign, also notching one victory and one runner-up finish from three outings over the city circuit’s 1,800m.

Among those standing in Meaningful Star’s way at the midweek meeting is another course-and-distance specialist Purton partnered to victory last start, the Manfred Man Ka-leung-prepared E Legend.

E Legend’s victory came only three weeks ago, though, with the five-year-old saluting comfortably after dropping into Class Four for the first time this season, and he carries just 121 pounds as he looks to continue his winning form stepping back up in grade.

Purton has sided with E Legend for Wednesday night’s contest, leaving the door ajar for Vincent Ho Chak-yiu to take back the ride aboard Meaningful Star.

Ho has one win and one second from five rides aboard Meaningful Star and has the handy gate five at his disposal this time around.

Eight-time course-and-distance winner Red Majesty steps back in trip and grade after being outclassed in last month’s Group Three January Cup (1,800m), while Solar Winds makes the switch to Happy Valley after his last-start second over the Sha Tin 1,400m.

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen is still looking for the right recipe with Hava Nageela, another galloper Purton partnered at his last start.

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The four-year-old has not been far away in his past three starts, which have included the Sha Tin and Happy Valley turf and the all-weather surface, and he will look to make his presence felt under Silvestre de Sousa from gate eight in his first attempt at the city circuit’s 1,650m.

Also in the field is Richard Gibson’s improving four-year-old Silver Hammer, who has shown enough across his first three Hong Kong starts to suggest a win should not be too far away, although he does have the outside gate to contend with in start four.

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