It's the most wonderful day of the year

[Rileyoriley]

So far my picks are:

1.a Packing exacta box in the Mile

2. Feuerblitz in the Cup (i just saw an old episode of Hogan's Heroes and Schultz used a word similar to that. I took it as an omen.)

I'll have to either handicap the other 2 races or wait for another omen but I'll get back to you.

Ok after some semi-serious handicapping, I have my picks for the other 2 races.

3. Sprint- Super Easy, Sea Siren, and Time After Time (Decent Cindy Lauper tune) tri and ex. box

4. Vase- Sea Moon, Book 'em Dandino, and Dancing Rain (in honor of the new Massachusetts senator) tri and ex. box

[my miss storm cat]

Nice picks... good luck!

My only one so far is Xtension in the Mile.

I thought this was fun:

Excerpt from a blog by (THE) Steve Moran.

However, (trainer Jake) Stephens went on to say that Alcopop does not like Dunaden at all. 'He's not happy when that horse is nearby,' Stephens said referring to Dunaden.

So, maybe that indicates that Alcopop is intelligent and that somehow he knows that Dunaden is the horse who beat him in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup in Melbourne in October.

Ironically, Dunaden and Alcopop were the first two horses out on the track this morning - in the same order as they finished in the Caulfield race. Alcopop was well behaved but was just starting to appear a little irritated as he had to wait for jockey Craig Williams to finish galloping Dunaden before he could climb aboard Alcopop - on whom he won the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington.

With too much contact between the visiting horses discouraged. for quarantine reasons, Williams was sprayed with some sort of disinfectant after riding Dunaden and before he mounted Alcopop.

Then again, maybe it was just to make sure that Alcopop didn't smell any trace of Dunaden on the jockey.

[my miss storm cat]

Replays, overseas contenders...

http://campaign.hkjc.com/en/2012-lon...rsearacereplay

ALL replays for locals on the hkjc site of course.

Barrier draw reaction, etc...

http://campaign.hkjc.com/en/2012-lon...gir-index.aspx


I was gonna list all 4 races but here's the link instead cause there is so much good stuff...

http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/Info/M.../20121209/ST/4


Wow R1,the Class 3 Paris H, is a really nice field. Little Cow, Affluance of Rain, etc. Very nice

The Peak in R6 is a nice one to keep an eye on too (not to bet... no odds but good horse).

Good luck to 9 year old Jamesina (in R3, the Tokyo H.) who loves being 9th (can we bet this?). He hasn't won since his three in a row back in 2009.

Race 9 is like the field of heartbreak. Poor Beauty Flash needs to call it a day, Penglai Xianzi should have been sooo good by now,good old Fay Fay and Able Speed, Fair Trade... very nice field of horses who just didn't live up to their potential.

[my miss storm cat]

HKJC:

CIRRUS DES AIGLES and SWEET ORANGE have been withdrawn from the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup

7/12/2012 15:42

CIRRUS DES AIGLES and SWEET ORANGE, declared starters in the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup to be conducted at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday, 9 December 2012, have been found to have a left fore tendon injury and lame right fore fetlock respectively. CIRRUS DES AIGLES and SWEET ORANGE have been withdrawn from the LONGINES

[my miss storm cat]

Yea for everyone being excited!

In the event anyone wants to watch the replay of California Memory winning (or the rest of course)...

http://racing.hkjc.com/racing/Info/M.../20121209/ST/8