The opening race will see seven horses have their first Hong Kong start (half the field) which makes it a very challenging affair to be confident about assessing and pricing their chances accurately. For that reason I won’t be playing. HASTA LUEGO looks like he has plenty of ability and has had four trials since November. Size and Moreira combine and the horse has looked forward enough to suggest he’ll sprint up well down the straight. BELLA BABY and IRON KING competed in Race 386 behind Sunshine Universe. Bella Baby ran a decent last-600m of 33.28 and a repeat of that effort could have him competitive. Iron King delivered the best final-200m (11.64), which underscored a sound debut. Zac Purton has taken the ride and when combining with Yip this season they’ve been red-hot winning 8 of 25 starts. HAPPY GOOD GUYS is a son of Zoustar, is very well-bred and a recent trial down the track was controlled and hinted at ability without him being pressured. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him run well. Be cautious here though, it’s a race we will naturally be a lot wiser after the event.