As we celebrate the 140th anniversary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club and approach the Year of The Horse in 2026, the opening of a brilliant new exhibition which I attended yesterday (3 June) at the Palace Museum in Beijing highlighting horse culture is perfectly timed.
The ‘Galloping Through Time’: Digital Reimagination of Horse Art and Culture’ exhibition, comprises six major sections in high-precision detail and digitally presents more than 500 horse-related artifacts from the Palace Museum’s collection.
Through immersive 3D interactive technology, visitors can journey across time and space, engaging deeply with the vibrant legacy of Chinese horse culture.
As a horse lover, I found the equine themes especially relevant as they focus on strength and speed, freedom and ebullience, courage and triumph, talent and merit, prosperity and fortune and the horse’s role in the cross-cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.
The exhibition is part of the IoP’s five-year collaboration with the Palace Museum, with the shared goal of promoting traditional Chinese culture, nurturing art tech talent, and supporting Hong Kong’s development into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
The “Promotion of Chinese Culture and Arts Tech Talent Development in the Mainland and Hong Kong” will run for five years and is being supported by the IoP, a charitable organisation established by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and its Charities Trust in September 2023.
Founded as an independent “think-fund-do” tank for China and Asia, the IoP is dedicated to promoting philanthropic thought leadership and enhancing sector capabilities at local, regional and global levels in collaboration with fellow funders.
‘Galloping Through Time: Digital Reimagination of Horse Art and Culture’ is of special relevance to Hong Kong, where horses have shaped our city’s history and continue to play a vital role in the Club’s provision of world-class racing, which ultimately allows us to contribute to the betterment of society as one of the world’s leading charity donors.
While in Beijing, I also attended the launch of the Nurturing Future InnoTech Talent Project, which is a partnership between the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) and The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG).
The Institute of Philanthropy (IoP) and Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust have approved a donation of HK$150 million to support the project, which aims to nurture a pool of talented youngsters with a passion for innovation and technology.
This is an exciting Mainland-Hong Kong collaboration which leverages CSCLF’s extensive network and advantage in education research, using the best resources to maximise students’ learning experiences, foster cultural understanding and share innovative and creative ideas.
Participants will undergo a year-long systematic training journey co-created by leading industry and academic partners focusing on four key themes – artificial intelligence, aerospace and engineering technology, robotics and new energy.
Upon completion of the training programme, secondary school students aspiring to enter the innovation and technology (I&T) industry will be well equipped with an enhanced competitive edge, creating a pool of vocational talent with both national and global perspectives and providing multiple pathways for Hong Kong youth.
At Happy Valley tonight (4 June), we mark the start of summer with a much-anticipated Music Festival in the Beer Garden. Live music is an important part of Hong Kong’s culture and we will celebrate this with a host of acts between now and the season finale at Happy Valley on 16 July.
Apart from the musical entertainment, the Beer Garden will offer themed food and beverages between the staging of nine world-class races.
The Class 2 Wan Chai Gap Handicap is carded as Race 9 and will be run over 1200m at 10.50pm with prizemoney of HK$2.84 million.
The pace will be good to fast with the HARMONY N BLESSED (Karis Teetan) likely to lead from gate two. AURORA LADY (Matthew Poon) has good gate speed and will be prominent from his inside draw and both COLOURFUL KING (Andrea Atzeni) and TOMODACHI KOKOROE (Luke Ferraris) will settle in the forward group. STELLAR EXPRESS (Brenton Avdulla) has good early pace but has drawn gate 12.
HORSEPOWER (Zac Purton) is building an imposing record with three wins from four starts, all over 1000m. At his most recent start, he settled in the back half of the field on a fast tempo and showed an electrifying turn of foot to beat SEASONS WIT on 23 April. HORSEPOWER has not previously raced at 1200m, but his racing style suggests the extra 200m should not pose any concerns and he is my win and place selection.
COLOURFUL KING also extends to 1200m for the first time and is in good form with two wins and a second from his past three starts. He is also a win and place chance from barrier four.
KAHOLO ANGEL (Ellis Wong) should also be suited by a fast pace. He has won two of his last three starts over this course and distance and last start settled midfield on the rails, getting clear running at the top of the straight and came through on the inside to beat VICTORY SKY and SOVEREIGN FUND. KAHOLO ANGEL has been to Conghua since and he is a place chance.
STELLAR EXPRESS, HARMONY N BLESSED, AURORA LADY, GUSTOSISIMO (Angus Chung) and TOMODACHI KOKOROE all race well over this course and distance and can be placed without surprising.
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