Race 1 (085)
POPLAR HANDICAP Rating:40-15 1650m Happy Valley Good To Firm
Section 1
| Placing | Horse No |
Horse Name | Jockey | Gear | Comment |
| 1 | 10 | SIMPLY THE BEST (CE014) | A Delpech | CP2 | Sprung from gates, showed good dash to take up running leaving straight, set moderate tempo in front, held 1L advantage on bend, had them chasing in straight, kicked hard and just held on late. |
| 2 | 1 | DANRIVA (CA040) | W M Lai | -- | Standard to break, lacked speed to be prominent, raced 2-3Ls away on rails, had easy time in mid-section, tracked rails on turn, made up plenty of ground charging late to narrowly go down. |
| 3 | 9 | JUSTINIAN (CB324) | M Nunes | -- | Broke with rest, pushed up to hold prominent spot on fence, raced behind leader with run of race, stalked leader on turn, angled out in straight, kept finding to fight out 3 way finish. |
| 4 | 4 | TURF GOLD (CD342) | H W Lai | -- | Slow to begin, hard ridden to hold spot 4-5Ls away on fence, tightened on first turn, had even trip thereafter, still well back on turning, stuck to rails in straight, closed steadily without threatening. |
| 5 | 7 | STAR OF NORTHERN (CD173) | O Doleuze | B | Began nicely, pressed forward but unable to slot in, posted 3-wide 2Ls away without cover throughout, always working to turn, there until 200 M but couldn't find extra late after hard run. |
| 6 | 6 | UNIVERSAL KOMISSAR (CE096) | D Whyte | -- | Standard to break, assumed usual position near last, checked leaving straight, raced 2-wide 6Ls off pace, still well back on turn, came with 3-wide into straight, finished well down outside making up many lengths. |
| 7 | 5 | OPTIC KING (CE139) | H K Yim | CP | Began with rest, urged along to hold midfield position, raced 2-wide between horses 4-5Ls away, not really asked in mid-section, ridden along at Rock, came between horses in straight but lacked a gear change to threaten. |
| 8 | 11 | ALIPES (CD169) | K W Tsui | SB | Began awkwardly and became unbalanced, faded back to tail, raced ungenerously at rear 6-7Ls off pace, never really relaxed, still had field to beat on turn, saved ground on rails and passed a few tired horses late. |
| 9 | 2 | DRAGON INN (CE327) | P H Lo | -- | Away with rear, ridden up to press forward to leaders girth, relaxed after early work and had good run in mid-section, pushed along to challenge at Rock, faded out after 200 M when they sprinted. |
| 10 | 3 | FORTUNE GOLD (CD343) | G Mosse | -- | Left gates well, showed speed to hold 1 out 1 back spot, had good run 2Ls away thereafter, urged along between horses on turn, gained split in straight but lacked turn of foot to be a factor. |
| 11 | 12 | A BETTER DRAGON (CC329) | R Fradd | SR | Standard break, soon positioned at rear, forced to race 3-wide at tail 6Ls away, always working covering ground, took off 4-wide at mid-point, 3Ls off them at Rock, run ended turning for home and weakened out. |
| 12 | 8 | DANSING FUN (CE202) | F Coetzee | B | Fair to begin, unable to show enough dash to cross them, caught 3-wide with cover in midfield 4-5Ls away, never really travelling, under pressure at mid-point gradually weakened out to be well beaten. |
| B : | Blinkers | BO : | Blinker with one cowl only | CC : | Cornell Collar | CP : | Sheepskin Cheek Pieces |
| CO : | Sheepskin Cheek Piece One Side | E : | Ear Plugs | H : | Hood | P : | Pacifier |
| PC : | Pacifier with cowls | PS : | Pacifier with one cowl | SB : | Sheepskin Browband | SR : | Shadow Roll |
| TT : | Tongue Tie | V : | Visor | VO : | Visor with one cowl | XB : | Crossed Nose Band |
| "1" : | First time | "2" : | Replaced | "-" : | Removed |