It has been more than a decade since I came from Germany to join the Club and started living here in Hong Kong. To me, Hong Kong is such a fascinating and dynamic city, and over the years I’ve come to treat it as my home. More and more friends tell me that I’m now no different from a Hong Konger, and I’m absolutely glad to take that as a compliment.
Hong Kong people are renowned for their diligence, outstanding work efficiency, and their can-do attitude. While many people in town devote so much on their daily work to earning their living, there are some respectable figures who are willing to dedicate their spare time, or even their careers, to contributing to the community and assisting needy and unfortunate persons in local society. The Club, as part of the Hong Kong community and the territory’s largest charity contributor, shares this mission, too.
Back on Wednesday I’ve attended a press conference organised by local broadcaster aTV, as I was invited to join as a judging panel member for the Hong Kong Loving Hearts Campaign. In this campaign, a total of 30 persons from all walks of life were nominated, with the broadcaster produced video footages to introduce how each of them showing their caring spirit in their own sectors, or performing emotionally touching acts that widely recognised by the public. The 10 nominees who received most votes from the judging panel and the public voting exercise, will become winners of the campaign this year.
I was delighted to have the chance to take part in this meaningful event as the only expat in the judging panel. The event organisers were very kind to me as they prepared an English profile listing the details of each nominee. So I could further understand their background and their touching stories behind the scenes.
No matter whether those nominees were prominent figures or just ordinary persons, they all gave their whole hearts to local charity and social works, and made their greatest efforts in helping the needy. Although only 10 of them will eventually be elected in this campaign, I think they are all winners and deserving of everyone’s compliments for their kindness, fraternity, and selfless contributions to the community.
This spirit was well-matched by the Club’s commitment, as we are always dedicated to contributing to society and, through funding different charity and social projects, to assisting the needy and destitute in Hong Kong. We will continue working towards this direction and we hope more people can benefit from our directives in the future.
The racing business and operation are undoubtedly the backbone of our commitment to contributing to the community. Today, we will be hosting the National Day race meeting at Sha Tin. But please remember to come to the racecourse earlier than usual as we will be hosting a pre-race performance in the paddock starting at noontime. The local drum troupe and the renowned Shandong Acrobatic Troupe will be giving all racing fans a nice start for the day, following by the singing of the national anthem led by famous Hong Kong soprano Margaret Yim.
Other highlights of the day will definitely be the first two pattern races of the season – the National Day Cup and the Sha Tin Sprint Trophy – as the likes of world’s top sprinter Sacred Kingdom, Derby champion Super Satin, as well as veteran top milers Good Ba Ba and Able One, will participate in either of these two HK Group 3 events in their season debut. I hope all of you will thoroughly enjoy both these exciting races and the wonderful on-course programmes.
The Sha Tin Sprint Trophy should be run at a very fast pace, which will help horses coming off the speed. Having said that, Sweet Sanette is a rocket and so far over 1000m, every opponent who tried to match her early speed has been burnt out. Although she will be facing the world’s best turf sprinter this time, I expect the 18-pound weight difference between her and Sacred Kingdom will help her a lot. She will be the horse to beat in this Group 3 event. Sacred Kingdom will certainly be better over 1200m, but with the expected fast pace, he should come with a late run and let’s see if he can challenge the speedy filly. One World, who performed nicely in both Hong Kong and Dubai last season, can also finish close with his freshness in this race.
The National Day Cup is a smashing clash between proven runners at international level, and the three-year-old rising star Lucky Nine! The expected good to fast pace should help fast closers such as Good Ba Ba, who is working well in trackwork recently. However, it will make it tougher for frontrunner Able One, who needs to go to the front and cross over to the fence from Gate 11. The same applies to Beauty Flash who has a very good track record over 1400m.
Lucky Nine is working extremely well after his brilliant win last month and he should be placed perfectly in this race. With the light weight of 113 pounds, Prebble is doing everything to match this weight condition, even taking less rides on the day. He is for me the horse to beat. Both Good Ba Ba and Able One won their earlier barrier trials, they should be the runners with better chances to give a challenge.
Comment
