Over the past few weeks the weather in Hong Kong has been persistently chilly – not as bitterly cold, perhaps, as in much of Europe or the eastern coast of the US which have suffered severe snowstorms, but the abnormal trend has been similar. Some meteorologists have suggested that this extreme weather is mainly attributable to the prevalence of the La Nina effect this year. But whatever the reason, it's clear that the climatic condition of our planet is now becoming more volatile, which reminds us once again of the importance of living green and better protecting our environment.
Many parts of the southern hemisphere have also been suffering extreme weather conditions after a very wet summer. Recently in the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, massive floods and mudslide destroyed thousands of households and claimed hundreds of lives. Conditions in Australia have been even more severe with widespread floods affecting the north-eastern state of Queensland for several weeks, including recently the state capital, Brisbane. Dozens of people have lost their lives, while hundreds of thousands more have lost their homes and been forced to evacuate from their home towns. The damage is being counted in billions of Australian dollars.
I've learnt through my racing colleagues that that the rising floodwaters have affected quite a number of thoroughbred and stud farm operators in that part of Australia. To ensure the safety of their valuable stallions, mares and yearlings, they have had to move them out rapidly to other equine facilities on higher ground.
Although the disaster did not affect the Magic Millions Sale and Magic Millions racing carnival on the Gold Coast last week, some leading horsemen and business tycoons closely connected to the Australian thoroughbred industry have taken the lead by launching a large-scale fund-raising drive to provide relief and assistance to the flood victims.
The campaign has a very encouraging result with more than A$900,000 raised for the relief fund. It’s nice to see the Australian thoroughbred industry pulling together with the community at such difficult moments, which is also what our own Club has done when our Mainland compatriots or other people in the region have been affected by natural disasters over the years.
Latest news reports suggest that the Australian flooding is now starting to affect the southern state of Victoria. I hope these extreme conditions will start to ease soon and not affect too many more of our friends "down under".
Rather better news is that sunshine and slightly warmer weather are forecast for Hong Kong this weekend, which is timely as this season's four-year-old series gets under way at Sha Tin tomorrow with the Hong Kong Group 1 Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Classic Mile.
Previously a Hong Kong Group 3 event, this race was promoted to its current HK Group 1 status in 1999/2000. Over the past decade, some of its winners have gone on to take Derby honours like Olympic Express and Helene Mascot, while others have shone on the international stage, such as Industrialist and Beauty Flash who later claimed the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup and Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile respectively.
To make the series even more exciting and competitive, we've made some modifications this season, the most significant being the upgrading of the former HK G2 Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby Trial into a domestic Group 1 event, now renamed the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Classic Cup. The purse money for the race has also been increased to HK$6 million. The new status puts this race on a par with the Classic Mile and all three legs of the series now being HKG1 events.
The past five editions of the Classic Mile have seen Tony Cruz win three times with Floral Pegasus, Helene Mascot and Beauty Flash, while John Moore and Danny Shum have taken one apiece with Sunny Sing and Thumbs Up. All three trainers will be aiming to add to that tomorrow, with both Tony (Multiglory and Turf Express) and John (Xtension and Military Move) doubly represented, while Danny’s hopes rest with rising star Little Bridge. In contrast, Caspar Fownes has yet to score a Classic Mile success, but will be keen to change that with top-rated Lucky Nine.
It will be interesting to see which of these exciting prospects can make its mark first, and whether any of the 12 top-notch four-year-olds in action tomorrow can make a clean sweep of these three HKG1 races.
With the expected good pace, we should see Multiglory in the lead with Lucky Nine, Little Bridge and Sichuan Success racing in good positions. Lucky Nine is a terrific horse with great potential and should be the horse to beat. The only concern I have is that he has not run 1600m before and comes from 1200m in his last start. Little Bridge is a Rising Star too and he is not proven at 1600m either. That is the reason why I think Xtension has a good chance to win as well as Sichuan Success who both have proven 1600m form. Military Move will come with a strong run at the end too. He has run well at 1400m and had good 1600m form in New Zealand, but Beadman's choosing of Xtension in this event to some extent shows the preference in the stable.
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