HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS (Wednesday, September 27, 2023) Race 1: #5 Double Show, #1 Superb Move, #7 Hunky Dory, #2 Copartner Era Race 2: #1 Right Honourable, #4 Faithful Trinity, #7 Medic Elite, #6 Eagle Run Race 3: #8 Circuit Elite, #1 Turquoise Alpha, #3 Right As Rain, #6 Nice Birdie Race 4: #3 Sunny Star, #6 Perfect Team, #1 Natural Storm, #5 Turin Mascot Race 5: #1 Kasa Papa, #6 Spangle Fortune, #8 Beau Gosse, #3 Concerto Race 6: #9 Oversubscribed, #4 Mega Bonus, #6 Mayhem, #1 Act of Faith Race 7: #10 Round The Globe, #8 Togepi, #11 Timestorm, #7 Lucky Archangel Race 8: #5 Wonder Kit, #3 Lucky Eight, #4 Solid Impact, #6 Hoss Race 9: #1 Reward Smile, #10 Sweet Briar, #4 Sixth Generation, #7 Solar Partner Race 1: Swallow Handicap (1st Section) #5 Double Show performed well first-up and he can take another step forward here. The inside draw is suitable and he rates as the one to beat. #1 Superb Move has tumbled down the handicap. Hugh Bowman hops up now and he appears ready to fire in this grade. #7 Hunky Dory slots in light and has a favourable draw among the small field. #2 Copartner Era has a hefty impost to shoulder but he won’t know himself in Class 5, especially as a winner in the grade above. Race 2: Swallow Handicap (2nd Section) #1 Right Honourable is dangerous off this mark. He’s been trialling well ahead of his seasonal return and he has the class to be winning here, especially with Zac Purton electing to ride. #4 Faithful Trinity is chasing back-to-back wins. He’ll have maintained his condition across the break and is favoured from gate one over his preferred course and distance. #7 Medic Elite slots in light and is a threat at Happy Valley. He looks well and ready to fire. #6 Eagle Run is next in line. Race 3: Parrot Handicap #8 Circuit Elite can dictate a pace to suit. He’s drawn well, should lead, and rates strongly here under a lightweight with the apprentice’s seven-pound claim in use. One to catch. #1 Turquoise Alpha has a bit of class and he should get his chance here. He draws ideally for Hugh Bowman, who is in superb form at present. #3 Right As Rain has a powerful finish and he’ll need them to run along out in front if he is to finish over the top of them. #6 Nice Birdie mixes his form but is capable. Keep safe. Race 4: HKEX Cup Handicap #3 Sunny Star loves the course and distance. He’s suited in this grade and his efforts last season at Happy Valley are worth remembering, especially as he is more than capable of reproducing those with Alexis Badel up. #6 Perfect Team mixes his form but is suited second-up after performing well upon resumption. #1 Natural Storm gets the services of Hugh Bowman. He’ll be right there in the finish. #5 Turin Mascot is chasing back-to-back wins. He’s suited from gate one under Zac Purton. Race 5: Magpie Handicap #1 Kasa Papa narrowly missed first-up and can improve following that run. He’s been knocking on the door for some time and gets a strong chance here to reward his owners, as long as he manages to offset gate 12 of 12. #6 Spangle Fortune returned mixed results last term but is clearly capable. He’s worth taking a chance on here at each way odds. #8 Beau Gosse has the right draw and jockey to be super competitive. He’s a winner in waiting. #3 Concerto can figure strongly. He’s a major threat in this grade. Race 6: Melbourne Cup Tour Handicap (1st Section) #9 Oversubscribed caught the eye first-up and improvement should come this week. Expecting a big effort from him, especially as he should get a pace to suit against this group. #4 Mega Bonus is chasing back-to-back wins. He’ll need to overcome the draw, but does remain in a suitable grade. #6 Mayhem appears ready to put his best foot forward now. He draws well and has the right jockey up. #1 Act Of Faith can improve significantly in Class 4, especially from gate one. Race 7: Honeyeater Handicap (2nd Section) #10 Round The Globe has a bit of class and he appears to have improved between seasons. He’s ready to win, and has been for some time. One to beat. #8 Togepi is chasing back-to-back wins. Hugh Bowman retains the ride and he looks ready to really ascend the handicap now. #11 Timestorm just needs to offset the wide draw. He’ll be finishing fast under Luke Ferraris. #7 Lucky Archangel can improve second-up. Zac Purton takes the ride and he is worth respecting. Race 8: Cuckoo Handicap (2nd Section) #5 Wonder Kit’s a nice horse and he’s chasing back-to-back wins at Happy Valley. He’s trialling well and looks ready to really lift his rating now. His trainer Francis Lui has returned five wins from his last nine runners. #3 Lucky Eight is nothing short of consistent and his best has proven very competitive in this grade for the most part.#4 Solid Impact caught the eye when closing fast first-up for Zac Purton. He can improve again here. #6 Hoss does his best racing at Happy Valley. Keep safe. Race 9: Cuckoo Handicap (1st Section) #1 Reward Smile is the one to catch in the finale. He’s a two-time winner from six starts, who is rarely out of contention. Expecting improvement second-up, especially with Hugh Bowman linked to ride for John Size. He can win. #10 Sweet Briar is after a hat-trick of wins. He slots in light and looks capable of handling the class-rise. #4 Sixth Generation can make an impact here. #7 Solar Partner is in the right vein of form and he’s drawn favourably. He can test this group.