Nine talented speedsters will go to post for a high octane renewal of the HKG3 National Day Cup (Handicap) over the straight 1000m at Sha Tin racecourse on Wednesday, 1 October, with Group 1 heroes Sterling City (133lbs) and Amber Sky (132lbs) setting a lofty benchmark. However the backdrop in the city of Hong Kong is set with mass protests as pro-democaracy activists take to the streets on this public holiday. 

That pair of high-weights carried off the two G1 sprints at Meydan, Dubai, in March, with Sterling City snaring the Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m - Tapeta) and Amber Sky the Al Quoz Sprint (1000m - turf). But with a raft of relatively unexposed challengers lurking low in the handicap, Wednesday’s feature promises to be a tight affair.

Peniaphobia, with a feather burden of 114lbs on his back for this test, is a two-time course and distance winner boasting a lifetime record of six wins from his 10 starts at around 1000m. Tony Cruz’s charge stepped up to 1200m for the first time on 14 September when a sound third to Golden Harvest in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup.

Jockey Matthew Chadwick has partnered the Dandy Man three-year-old in his last two races and is hoping for a big run.

“His first-up run over 1200m didn’t really go to plan but coming back to 1000m will be ideal for him,” he said. “There’s definitely plenty of talent in the race but he has the benefit of a run already and so fitness could tell on the day. Tony seems happy with him, he’s come out of his race clean and he should be ready for the race tomorrow.”

The Dandy Man gelding has drawn stall two, away from the often favoured stands’ side rail, but Chadwick is not too concerned.

“He’s got the pace out of the gate and it’s not a big field, so hopefully the draw isn’t too much of a disadvantage and he can get across,” said the rider.

Another light-weight with heavy-weight potential is Rad (113lbs), the mount of Keith Yeung. David Hall’s charge is unbeaten in five lifetime starts, three in Hong Kong at the course and distance. The five-year-old Australian import, drawn five, was sighted only once last term, in May, when winning a Class 2 contest in a sharp 55.83s, and limbered up for the National Day Cup with a recent barrier trial “win”.

The John Moore-trained Sterling City (gate 8) will have Douglas Whyte in the plate for the second time; the six-year-old was last seen running a below-par fifth in the G1 KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) in Singapore. Meanwhile, the Ricky Yiu-trained Amber Sky (gate seven), the mount of Joao Moreira, is having his first race since Dubai in March but looked sharp in a recent trial.

Charles The Great (131lbs), another Moore stable stalwart and winner of the G2 BOCHK Wealth Management Sprint (1200m) last term, warmed up with a decent fifth in the HKSAR CE’s Cup on the season’s opening day.

Super Jockey (113lbs) from the Tony Millard stable will break from stall one under Karis Teetan, while the Cruz-trained Bullish Friend (120lbs), the Hall-trained Bundle Of Joy (113lbs), and 1000m specialist Go Baby Go (116lbs) from the Dennis Yip stable complete the line-up