Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Banker’, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Tokyo Racecourse – Track Analysis (Yushun Himba Day):

On top of its sprawling track width, and an approximately 525m (turf) and 500m (dirt) stretch run, the Tokyo Racecourse also features its own sweeping turns, and deep closers with explosive late speed would as well pounce home from out wide. That being said, with the homestretch going uphill (from 400m to 300m out on turf, 500m to 200m on dirt), front-runners at Tokyo have to open up against the pursuing pack at the top of the lane, or find it an insuperable task to make every stride a winning one. Overall, this is still a fair track with no particular penchant towards any running style, while closers only get a slight edge on the way that a typical race is strategically run in Japan.

On the day’s card, fillies for the featured 2400m Yushun Himba have to stampede towards the first turn through a 300m stretch while flying by the grandstand for the first time; in a full field, outside-drawn runners would have their work cut out for them. However, with 300m of backstretch to travel before hitting the far turn, older horses for the 1400m Freeway Stakes, will have plenty of time to search for the rail or cover, and a bad stall is still manageable. Whereas runners for both the 1800m Chofu Tokubetsu and the 2000m 4yo and up allowance only have a slight dogleg to negotiate right from the go, and stall assignments also bear minimal implications.

On to the dirt strip, with a full 300m stretch run before hitting the first turn, runners breaking from out wide in both the 1300m Hiyoshi Tokubetsu and the 2100m Tanzawa Stakes, will likewise pick up the yeoman’s work. For the 1600m 3yo allowance, with approximately 600m of backstretch to travel before hitting the far turn, runners will have plenty of time to search for the rail or cover, and a bad stall is still manageable.

In the 2018 running of the Yushun Himba, when the turf was listed as firm, eventual heroine ALMOND EYE was initially hounding just behind the first flight, then switched to the outside at the top of the stretch, and cleared the field with about 200m to go, whereas LILY NOBLE and LUCKY LILAC, who were sent forward early – though evidently out-classed by ALMOND EYE down the lane – could still hold on for second and third respectively.

With rain teasing through the Tokyo area as of late, sunny skies will return just in time on Sunday, as per the local forecasts; therefore, this year’s edition of the Yushun Himba should still be staged on good to firm turf. Reviewing the recent meeting at Tokyo on 11th and 12th May, while closers from way out were storming all day long on the turf, the dirt strip, despite occasional winners that could launch a stout drive from off the pace, still slightly favoured speed horses up front.

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