The 39th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Melbourne over the past week was a huge success because it not only highlighted the challenges and opportunities currently facing racing, but it also opened our eyes to the future.
Across 11 business programme sessions and several bureau meetings, the ARC featured 50 passionate and inspiring speakers from various backgrounds – sports other than racing, business, environmental, integrity and regulatory – to air innovative and ground-breaking ideas.
There is no doubt racing must be more customer-centric if we are to grow our sport for a sustainable future. And some of the conference speakers opened our eyes to what many of us probably never thought possible in terms of what racing might offer its fans in the future.
Their ideas were inspiring and thought-provoking and now that we have seen racing’s future, we must lean in, embrace it – and we must act on it.
We face many challenges, from mental health to horse welfare and illegal gambling, but we must not shy from taking the opportunities that are plentiful in racing to advance our sport and we must embrace change faster than ever before – socially, culturally, politically and through technology.
To do so, racing must be bold and confident in its decision-making and we must take calculated risks to broaden its appeal.
I wish to sincerely thank Racing Victoria and the ARC Organising Committee for its exceptional work in helping make the ARC a resounding success, moderator David Eades, who did a brilliant job, and the brilliant speakers who shared such fascinating insights.
The World Pool, which has been enormously successful since its introduction since 2019, will operate for the first time on Saturday on a feature Australian meeting with the G1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) at 1.20pm (Hong Kong time) the main focus at Flemington and I look forward to watching Nature Strip in action.
He was the highest-rated sprinter in the 2022 LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings at 126 for his dominant win in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes (1006m) over the straight course at Royal Ascot in June. His rider James McDonald also won the LONGINES World’s Best Jockey Award for 2022 and they combine in the G1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.
The Chris Waller-trained eight-year-old has raced 10 times down the Flemington straight for six wins. He won this race in 2021 and was narrowly beaten last year by stablemate Home Affairs.
He has a slightly awkward draw, jumping from gate one on the far side of the straight course, but he can sit just off the fast speed to be set by Marabi and Coolangatta and I make Nature Strip a win and place chance.
Roch ‘N’ Horse is a mare building an exceptional record down the straight course, winning the G1 Newmarket Handicap in March last year and then beating Nature Strip in the G1 Darley Champions Sprint in November, both over 1200m. She is a place chance.
Marabi has won seven of her eight starts and will contest the lead for a long way from gate five and is a place chance, along with Bella Nipotina, another G1-winning mare.
Trainer Peter Moody and rider Luke Nolen famously combined with Black Caviar, who won this race three times, and they are represented by I Wish I Win. He is an exciting talent and despite having not contested a race over 1000m before he will be storming home off the fast pace.
Later on Saturday evening, Hong Kong horses Russian Emperor and Senor Toba will compete in the G1 H.H. The Amir Trophy in Qatar. The race will be run over 2400m on turf and has prizemoney of US$2,500,000.
Harry Bentley will ride Senor Toba for Caspar Fownes, while Douglas Whyte has engaged Alberto Sanna to ride Russian Emperor. Their opposition includes Aidan O’Brien’s duo of Broome and Stone Age, who both ran at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races in December, while the hardest to beat will be Charlie Appleby’s four-year-old Warren Point, to be ridden by William Buick.
Unfortunately, because of the short notice, we are unable to provide simulcast coverage of the race, but I wish the connections of Russian Emperor and Senor Toba every success in the race.
On Sunday at Sha Tin, the Class 2 TVB Cup over 2000m is carded as Race 8 at 4:35pm and carries prizemoney of $2,900,000.
The pace in the race should be good with Angus Chung to lead on Enjoying from gate seven with Drombeg Banner likely to race on speed and Five G Patch also in the leading division.
Five G Patch won over this course and distance on 21 January, coming from midfield to beat Champion Dragon. Matthew Chadwick takes the ride for trainer Tony Cruz and should get a good trip from gate three and I make him a place chance.
Running Glory stayed on when runner-up to Senor Toba over 1800m at his latest run in the G3 Centenary Vase Handicap on 3 February. Hugh Bowman rides Running Glory for the first time today and I make him a win and place chance.
Rise Brethren has been a model of consistency this season finishing top four at all six starts. He comes to this race of a last start third to Money Catcher in the G3 January Cup Handicap over 1800m at Happy Valley when he ran home strongly. Rise Brethren is a winner over the course and distance and is a place chance for Alexis Badel.
Drombeg Banner is on a path to the BMW Hong Kong Derby next month and steps to the 2000m on Sunday after his last start eighth to Happy Together in the Class 3 Mile race when he raced on the pace and was beaten three lengths. Drombeg Banner has the minimum weight here and is a place chance for Matthew Poon.
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