Friday’s 25th Anniversary Hong Kong Reunification Raceday provides the perfect chance to reflect on Hong Kong’s wonderful horse racing achievements and also the amazing future opportunities that beckon.
To mark the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong Jockey Club is honoured to stage the 25th Anniversary Hong Kong Reunification Cup, which effectively celebrates both the past and the future.
In anticipation of 25th Anniversary Hong Kong Reunification Raceday, we recently conducted a Most Memorable Racing Moments over the past 25 Years poll, allowing us to reflect on the importance of horse racing to Hong Kong’s status as a world-class city, as well as marking the stunning deeds of great champions including Silent Witness, Golden Sixty, Beauty Generation and Indigenous.
Watching replays of these magnificent horses at their peak, along with jockeys such as Felix Coetzee, Zac Purton, Vincent Ho and Douglas Whyte, delivered a timely reminder of how privileged we are to have had so many incredible horses and riders in Hong Kong during the past 25 years.
Unsurprisingly, horse racing remains Hong Kong’s most popular spectator sport and integral to so many aspects of Hong Kong life. With the support of our participants, owners, sponsors, staff and our valued customers, the Club is a global leader in horse racing, acting continuously for the betterment of society.
The Club is also a longstanding supporter of the Guangdong-Hong Kong collaboration in equine industry and sports development. In May 2021, the Club signed a Supplementary Memorandum of Understanding with the Guangdong Sports Bureau to deepen cooperation and foster the development of equine sports and other related areas in Guangdong, including talent development for equine sports and equine industry as well as sports exchange for young in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
At the same time, the Club entered into a Framework Cooperation Agreement with the Guangzhou Municipal Government. The agreement aims to establish an international standard racing system in Guangzhou benefiting from the Club’s international standing in racing and our world-class facilities at the Conghua Racecourse.
Both sides look forward to establishing the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Racing Economic Cluster as an exemplary high-quality development in the GBA as part of an exciting future.
At Sha Tin on Friday, the 25th Anniversary Hong Kong Reunification Cup is a Class 1 handicap over 1200 metres which will be run at a good to fast tempo as the seventh race. Nervous Witness will use his natural speed to cross over and lead with jockey Zac Purton but will encounter pace pressure from Harmony And Rich, Campione and Trillion Win.
Campione has won three of five races since arriving from Italy and is a horse that needs to press forward to deliver his best race. Jockey Matthew Poon will use his speed from the inside draw to contest the pace but this is a horse that seems to do his best work on the dirt track. Trillion Win is drawn wide and Alexis Badel will call on him early to try and cross in tandem with Nervous Witness and Harmony And Rich to secure a forward position.
Despite the strong pace, Nervous Witness is a solid place chance after a big effort in the G3 Sha Tin Vase (1200m) in his last start. He will lead at all costs and will be hard to run down.
The race sets up nicely for Lucky Express who will do his running from the back with regular rider Antoine Hamelin. He turns back in trip and gets a bit of class relief after running at Group level in each of his last four starts, the latest a second-place finish in the Group 3 Premier Cup over 1400m. I make him a place chance.
Master Eight returns from a three-month break and merits serious attention on the strength of his consistent form. He will sit just behind the leaders and jockey Joao Moreira will give him every opportunity. I make him a win and place chance as he has always run well fresh and there is a bit of quality to him.
Blaze Warrior drops back in trip with Karis Teetan named to ride and will be making ground late as a place chance.
The sixth race is the Class 4 Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup Handicap over 1400 metres. The pace will be only good to slow with Colonel going forward with Matthew Poon along with M M Nebula under Alexis Badel. Peak To Peak will be in close contention with Vincent Ho.
Light Of Wanshi adds blinkers at the suggestion of his jockey Matthew Chadwick and trialled well with the gear change in preparation for this assignment. He is a win and place chance coming from worse than midfield.
Nicholson Returns was a dominant winner on a rain affected track two starts back and comes into the race in good form. He reunites with jockey Lyle Hewitson and will press forward from his wide draw. He has been slow to jump in his recent races and this is a bit of a concern as well as the turn back in trip. I make him a place chance.
Win Win has won previously over a yielding track and returns off an extended break with Jerry Chau named to ride. He will go back from his wide draw but will finish the race off with interest as a place chance along with the in-form Stunning Impact and jockey Joao Moreira.
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