By the time you read this blog from my website, I’ll be on my way back to Hong Kong from Guangzhou where Iattended the Hong Kong Night reception hosted by the Club last night. Among the attending guests were officials of the Guangzhou City Government and Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee as well as some Hong Kong athletes and a few equestrian team members who are currently participating in the Games. 
While showing our hospitality and serving all attending guests with some special Hong Kong treats, we hoped to take this occasion as an opportunity to celebrate with various parties for creating such top-class Asian Games equestrian events in Conghua.
In the meantime, we believe this pioneering project will foster a closer co-operation and further promote sports development in the region. It will become a legacy and lay down a nice foundation when the equestrian venues are converted into a new horse training centre after the Games in the future.
Although I was in Guangzhou yesterday, I still noticed two latest pieces of major racing news on the international front, including the one about the retirement of legendary mare and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Zenyatta in the US.
The news came just a fortnight after her sole career defeat in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs earlier this month. Similar to the legendary status of great sprinter Silent Witness in Hong Kong, Zenyatta is the heroine among the hearts of many racing fans in the US. That’s why it came as no surprise that when she lost to Blame in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, most racing fans in Churchill Downs were awestruck and couldn’t believe they had seen her 19-race winning streak snapped. I believe many will be pleased to see her having a pleasant retirement life, and at the same time look forward to seeing how her offspring perform in future races.
On the other hand, there’s great news for our racing fans in Hong Kong, as overseas racing media reported that another outstanding filly who performed extremely well in Europe this season – English and Irish Oaks winner Snow Fairy – will come to compete in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races next month.
Trainer Ed Dunlop told racing press that though this filly won the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Stakes in Japan in style last week, the connections planned to give her more time to recover and so decided not contest the Japan Cup next Sunday. Instead, the filly will come to Hong Kong and participate in either the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup or the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase on 12 December.
Snow Fairy, along with other prominent international contenders such as Melbourne Cup winner Americain in the Vase and Singapore’s top sprinter Rocket Man in the Sprint, add further glitter to the stellar line-up for this year’s international races. Their participation again reaffirms the status of our International Races as the Turf World Championships in global racing, while the race winners can prove once again their credentials are among the very best in the world. With Dunlop already having won here with Ouija Board in the 2005 Vase, let’s see if this filly can bring him another international triumph in Hong Kong.
For me it is always like being a child waiting for Christmas to come when I look to the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races and the lead up races are like taking a preview at the potential presents you hope to get. Tomorrow at Sha Tin, two very important lead up races will be held – the Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Mile (G2) and the Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Sprint (G2).
The CX Jockey Club Mile has all the local stars lining up and the expected slow pace will favour horses which are racing handy. This should give Able One, who ran a terrific race in his last outing, the edge to win the race over Thumbs up and Fellowship. I also expect a good performance from Chater Way which should be in a very good striking position from Gate 2 and just behind the speed.
The CX Jockey Club Sprint is one of the most interesting sprint races ever run in Hong Kong. It is not only that Rocket Man from Singapore challenges our top guns including the best sprinter in the world Sacred Kingdom, but to add spice, there are our Rising Stars Lucky Nine, Little Bridge as well as Let Me Fight in the race. The expected pace will be good to fast and from Gate 8 Rocket Man, with Felix Coetzee on board, will try to lead and cross. With Our Lucky Baby and Sweet Sanette being with Rocket Man up front, that should give Sacred Kingdom a good position in midfield and Brett Prebble knows that he cannot let Rocket Man get away too far. Lucky Nine will have to go back from his Gate 12 and should finish with a strong run. The three-year-old can surprise everybody with this class but I still think that 1400m now is a better distance for him than the 1200m trip. Sacred Kingdom should be the one to beat in this G2 event with Rocket Man and the last time unlucky One World for the places. I would not be surprised to see Sweet Sanette fighting for the money.
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