Happy Valley Betting Tips

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Happy Valley is one of two racecourses in Hong Kong and managed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the other being Sha Tin. Unlike Sha Tin which is out of the City, Happy Valley is in the heart of Hong Kong in Happy Valley on Hong Kong island.

With its proximity to the centre of Hong Kong, Happy Valley races on Wednesday evenings between September and July with it being a busy after-work social affair for citizens of Hong Kong and tourists alike.

Happy Valley Tips

Happy Valley is a turf-only racecourse with a very tight right-handed track a little under 1600m in circumference and probably Hong Kong’s answer to Chester.

The majority of races run at Happy Valley will be run over a distance of 1650m or shorter, with some longer contests on the occasional cards.

Due to its tight nature, making up ground is difficult at Happy Valley, with the draw, pace, luck and jockeyship all key factors in winning around here.

The track is characterised with a sweeping long bend of around 650m in distance taking runners round to the back straight, before a sharp cambered turn into the home straight, which is around 350m long.

Only races run over 1650m or further will run around the long sweeping bend, but if you’re drawn wide particularly over that distance, you’ll have to sit and suffer as you will lose considerable ground going wide around the first turn.

The Grandstand at Happy Valley is seven tiers high with a capacity of 55,000 and is a sight to see alongside the backdrop of the Hong Kong skyline when lit up for their evening meetings.

Our expert tipsters at myracing will be on hand throughout the entire Happy Valley season, bringing you analysis and top Happy Valley tips ahead of their meetings held on most Wednesday’s.

Happy Valley Major Races

While nearby neighbour racecourse Sha Tin is the regular host of Hong Kong’s leading action, Happy Valley does have a solitary Group-3 race on its schedule in the January Cup.

As its name may suggest the January Cup takes place in January each year and is a handicap contest open to horses rated 90 and higher, run over a distance of 1800m.

Leading Hong Kong-based trainer John Moore has a particularly good record in the January Cup saddling four of the last seven winners.

The majority of races run at Happy Valley will be handicaps and with a maximum field size of 12, many horses will race against one another regularly, with little between them on any given day.

As such, the draw, form study, watching races and jockeyship are paramount in unearthing winners at Happy Valley, a course that’s not shy of throwing up big priced winners.

And that’s just what our expert tipster at myracing do. Studying the form, watching the replays and trying to outwit the handicapper to provide the best analysis and Happy Valley tips ahead of all of their meetings each week.

Happy Valley Top Trainers & Jockeys

Happy Valley Top Trainers

With the majority of races at Happy Valley being handicaps, you won’t see outstanding strike-rates from trainers but there are definitely a few that warrant respect with their runners at the track.

None more so than Casper Fownes, known locally at the ‘King of the Valley’ who operates at around a 13% strike-rate at Happy Valley and his horses are usually well-supported on course.

Fownes has saddled 116 winners from 898 runners at Happy Valley in the last five seasons, putting him 28 clear of his nearest pursuer, John Size.

John Size, the 11-time champion trainer in Hong Kong has his fair share of winners around Happy Valley, with 88 from 656 runners to match Fownes’ 13% strike-rate, but those stats are a far cry from his success around Sha Tin, where his better ammunition is typically fired.

Legendary Hong Kong trainer John Moore doesn’t feature as heavily at Happy Valley, but his runners are always ones to note when they pop up on the Happy Valley cards.

The top-5 Happy Valley trainers’ stats from the last 5 seasons can be found below.

Trainer                 Wins-Runs                Strike-rate
C Fownes               116-898                          13%
J Size                       88-656                          13%
A S Cruz                  82-752                           11%
P F Yiu                     81-656                          12%
C S Shum                78-723                           11%

Happy Valley Top Jockeys

As with Sha Tin, it’s hard to look past the big two jockeys in Joao Moreira and Zac Purton who are well clear of the rest in Hong Kong and will be the first pick for all the top rides.

Zac Purton led the way in 2019 riding 55 winners from 253 runners, for a remarkable 22% strike-rate, which is unbelievable considering most races around Happy Valley are handicaps.

Despite operating at a very good strike-rate Purton’s rides would have netted you -£57.45 to a £1 stake in 2019 as both Purton and Moreira’s rides are very well supported and often head the market.

As such, you still need to be selective in your Happy Valley picks and often look beyond the big two if you’re seeking a value bet.

The only other jockey to have ridden 100 or more winners across the last 5 seasons is Karis Teetan with 100 wins from 916 rides at an 11% strike-rate.

Alfred Chan Ka Hei is also a claimer worth noting, and very good for his claim, taking valuable weight off in the ultra-competitive handicaps at Happy Valley.

The top-5 Happy Valley Jockey’s stats from the last 5 seasons can be found below.

Top Jockey                 Wins-Rides             Strike-rate
Zac Purton                     207-947                     22%
Joao Moreira                 147-907                     16%
Karis Teetan                   100-916                    11%
C Y Ho                              74-789                      9%
Neil Callan                      58-709                       8%

Where to watch Happy Valley races?

Sky Sports Racing is the home of Hong Kong racing, showing fixtures from both Happy Valley and the neighbouring Sha Tin live. Sky Sports racing can be found on Sky channel number 415 and number 535 on Virgin and 418 on Virgin Ireland.

You can also stream some of the action via online bookmakers, though not all leading firms offer streaming services at Happy Valley, those that do are subject to minimum bet requirements.

New to online betting or looking to take advantage of our experts’ Happy Valley tips with some great offers? Head over to our free bets page and start with a bang with one of our latest welcome offers.