I expect many of you watched our Yasuda Kinen simulcast from Tokyo Racecourse last Sunday. Unfortunately, neither of our Hong Kong runners Beauty Flash and Thumbs Up were able to produce their best performances, and both finished unplaced. Perhaps the circumstances were just not right for them, as Beauty Flash appeared to be positioned not as close to the pace as expected, and was one-paced on the home straight, which probably indicates that he was a bit tired after a long season. Thumbs Up lacked a bit of luck as he couldn't find sufficient daylight for a clear run during most of the race.
Anyway, both horses have already returned to Hong Kong yesterday. And shortly, they will enjoy the summer break they thoroughly deserve. Hopefully they will recover quickly and continue to perform well at top level next term.
This prestigious mile race, which is the fourth and final leg of the Asian Mile Challenge, was won by Real Impact, the only three-year-old in the field this year. Even before the race, I had marked this young horse in my mind as one of the strong forces of the Japanese team, as he has shown some impressive form and potential in his recent runs. The 4 kg weight-for-age claim he enjoyed from most of his opponents also gave him a notable advantage.
This son of the legendary Deep Impact also wrote a new chapter in the history of Yasuda Kinen, as he became the first three-year-old to win the race since it became a Group event in 1984. I will be keeping a close eye on his future performances as the year goes on.
During my stay in Japan this time, I became quite aware of how the country is still recovering from the wake of the earthquake and tsunami in March. The racecourse looked as crowded as ever, but I chatted with the manager of the hotel where I was staying and he told me they still only have a room occupancy rate of about 30 per cent right now, as most overseas travellers, including those from Hong Kong, have not yet returned. Tourism is a major contributor to the Japanese economy, so now that the nuclear threat seems to have stabilised, I hope the industry will start to pick up again soon.
When I got back from Japan on Monday, I headed straight for Tsing Yi as members of CARE@hkjc, our employee volunteer team, had organised a Dragon Boat Festival feast for some 700 elderly residents in the area, to make sure they didn't miss out on the festive fun and happiness of the occasion. I think it's wonderful that our staff are willing to give up their public holiday to organise events like this, which complement the Club's role as a major community benefactor, so I always try to give them my support when I can.
For most Chinese people, eating rice dumplings is a very important tradition of the Dragon Boat Festival. I've often eaten them myself, too, in previous years, and I really enjoy them. But this was the first time I've ever tried making and wrapping one myself. Although my end product did not look very conventional, I found it an interesting experience, and I'd like to thank my instructor, a lady who surnamed Wong, who gave me a lot of help and advice on the correct way of doing it.
We also gave out pre-packed rice dumplings to all the 700 elderly guests, some of whom were quite remarkable for their age. I chatted to one lady who is now 101 and still full of energy. She still seemed to be in very good health as well. So all in all, it was a very worthwhile event and I'm pleased that I was able to be a part of it. Hopefully my future schedule would allow me to participate in more similar events soon in the future.
Tonight at Happy Valley we are organising a special event of a very different kind, which we hope will appeal to the younger set, as between the races you will be able to enjoy live band music by the trackside. We've called the event "Music Rocks The Valley" and it will be held for the next three Wednesday night meetings in a row, with different local artists being featured ever week. There will be some fun games and art demonstrations, too. So please spread the word to all your friends and let's see if we can get the Valley really rocking tonight!
Apart from the entertainment we offer tonight, we also have some special highlights in the betting and sporting side. We offer a HK$17.4 million Triple Trio Jackpot tonight, while in the Happy Valley Vase we have 10 top class horses on show.
In the Min Fat Handicap, it should be run at a good pace and with the A course selected for tonight’s meeting, every horse should have a fair chance. I would suggest you monitor the first few races to see if we have a track bias in place and looking at the improved grass cover of the track after the summer grass has come through.
Having said that, I still prefer horses on the pace, with My Memory, Pillowin and first time starter Twin Turbo being the main pace influences. My Memory is in good form and is training well and for me he will be one of the main contenders in this race. Snitzel Kid from Gate 7 should be well positioned. Although he earlier suffered a fetlock injury, he will be the other horses that I’m interested to look at. High Return could be the horse having the best chance for a top-three finish, as he’s very consistent, with his draw of Gate 4 he should also be well positioned.
The Tsui Man Handicap is expected to be run at a good to fast pace, and Gilded Flight, Dynamic Cross and Super Caga are likely to work early to get across and lead. Dynamic Cross is a developing 4-year-old and is working well after his convincing win last start. I see him as a good choice for the Triple Trio. Let's Goal has the same attributes and is a real chance for me. I will also be interested to see the performances of other starters such as Empire City and En Masse.
The Happy Valley Vase is expected to run at a slow pace which could hurt the chances of the “Valley world beater" Noble Conqueror, which won all his 10 races at the Valley, including three over the distance of 1800m. I still believe he has a chance to win but he will be facing tough opposition who should be in a better position in the run. Destined For Glory is an upcoming 4-year-old who flopped in his only start at the Valley, but he has a good chance to correct this, while Packing OK is another strong 4-year-old running from the front and he is working well recently. Last but not least, Sight Winner is a value chance for me, especially because he is a course and distance winner.
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