Conditions to suit Telecom Fighters

Honest six-year-old Telecom Fighters appears well placed to score a first-up win in the Class 2 1650m Handicap (Race 2), at Happy Valley in Hong Kong today.

Telecom Fighters is first-up off a 70-day break and although he hasn’t graced the winner’s enclosure in 350 days, he was never far away in a finish with an average beaten margin of 2.25 lengths in 10 subsequent starts after his 3.25-length win when second-up last season.

Telecom Fighters was last seen doing what he usually does – leading them up and giving them something to run down, which they did at the 50m and he was beaten two lengths into fourth.

This time Telecom Fighters looks the clear leader in the eighthorse race. With many of Telecom Fighters’ rivals better over further, the bold front-runner is ideally placed to be hard to beat, and it comes as no surprise to see Zac Purton back in the saddle.

Elsewhere, trainer Ricky Yiu has enjoyed a solid start to the new Hong Kong racing season, taking an early lead with four wins from his 16 runners, and his run of success can continue with consistent six-year-old Super Mission in the Class 3 1200m Handicap (Race 7).

Super Mission only missed a spot in the top three in two of his nine starts last term, winning on one of those occasions with a further six placings. The Super Easy gelding only tried Class 3 for the first time in his final two starts of last season and was far from disgraced, closing off strongly each time to finish second and third, respectively.

Super Mission looked good in his trial leading into this race and from barrier No 2, can sit up handy and will be hard to hold out in a small but competitive field of nine runners.