Apple products have become very common in people’s daily lives in recent years, and I reckon probably the majority of my blog readers now have an iPhone, iPad, MacBook or iPod somewhere close to hand. Like all Apple fans, I was very saddened on Thursday to hear that Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and Chairman, had passed away after losing his seven-year fight against cancer.
It's not an exaggeration to say that Jobs has revolutionised people’s lives and transformed the entire IT industry, having been the inventive genius behind so many popular products from the earliest personal computers to the latest portable tablets. Besides having great technological vision, he has also shown a great instinct for creating stylish and "must have" products that have new set trends in the industry. I believe that his achievements have inspired many people, and his influence will continue for several generations.
Although the IT and horse racing industries are very different in nature, we do face a lot of the same challenges. In the face of growing competition in the leisure and gaming entertainment, which has been shrinking the base of traditional racing fans worldwide, we have to be constantly innovative and find ways of appealing to new customer segments. Having excellent products is no longer sufficient in itself - in a similar way to Apple, we need to make horse racing a "must have" experience for the public at large.
A number of prominent figures in the racing industry converged in London this week to discuss these challenges and exchange views on the future development of the sport, at a conference entitled Leaders in Racing.
In my keynote remarks, I noted that horse racing held only a 20 per cent share of the global gambling market last year – similar to the shares held by lotteries, casino betting and gaming machines. And in the fast-growing area of online gambling, racing has only managed to capture a five per cent share to date, compared with 40 per cent for general sports betting.
These figures paint an alarming picture for the racing industry. In my view, as I told the conference delegates, racing operators will need to “think different” in how they market the sport, paying heed to the needs of different customer segments. In my view, to retain existing customers and attract newcomers to the sport, we need to make racing more easily accessible to all, enhance customers' racing experience both on-track and off-track, and make full use of the latest technologies to disseminate racing information and services.
To strengthen the impact of these changes, it's also important that racing operators with the necessary resources take the lead in forming strategic partnerships. Some jurisdictions have enjoyed considerable success by developing commingled pools in recent years, notably Australia, Singapore and South Africa – though disappointingly, Hong Kong has not so far been able to participate in these initiatives.
I think we need to set our sights higher still, however, as we cannot focus our programmes solely on improving the wagering experience. It's essential that we aim for a comprehensive rebranding of racing, especially in terms of positioning it as a global sport.
I was pleased to hear that this view was widely shared by the racing operators there, which I see as a good starting point for all of us in the industry worldwide to think what we can do to extend co-operation and create new international synergy within the sport.
Standing still is not an option, as a continued erosion of the global racing business would create a spiralling downward effect and threaten millions of people working in the industry. The effect could be especially severe on countries such as Ireland, New Zealand and Australia whose economies are quite heavily reliant on the racing and thoroughbred industries. So it's a challenge that none of us can afford to ignore.
Following Thursday's conference in London, I’ve already returned to Hong Kong and am looking forward to being back on parade for tomorrow's Sha Tin meeting, having had to miss the midweek meeting at Happy Valley.
I will be paying special attention to the Chinese Recreational Club Challenge Cup, whose line-up will include star runners such Eagle Regiment, Captain Sweet, Pretty One, Longwah Supreme, King Mossman and Gift Is Gift. Between them, these horses have racked up a total of 21 wins over the past two seasons, so it should definitely be a wonderful 1,200m race to watch.
It’s a fantastic and very competitive Class 2 race with upcoming 4-year-olds getting tested by older generation proven Class 2 warriors. The expected good pace should ensure every horse has a fair chance. Eagle Regiment is a very exciting horse and he was drawn well at 5. The big question is whether he’s able to make the transition from a straight 1000m to a 1200m around the bend, but I would not leave him out tomorrow. Captain Sweet is working very well and my only reservation for making him my first choice is his draw from Gate 14, but again I would see him at least as a place chance. Longwah Supreme is another exciting 4-year-old who likes to go forward, but he’s drawn 12 which makes it not easy for him. Despite that, I’m still positive that he can get a top-three finish. Another decent 4-year-old is King Mossman and I would forget his last run in Happy Valley, because he had a lot going against him. He also has the ability to get a close finish. The horse who can spoil the 4-year-olds’ party is Pretty One, who had a terrific first up win from Gate 11. Being drawn at Gate 3 with Zac Purton on board, I think he should have the perfect trip and a nice chance.
The Lark Handicap is a very competitive Class 3 event with plenty of runners with winning chances.The good pace should ensure that every horse get a fair chance with two horses going for the lead being Double Dragon and All Victory. Both are live chances in the race and especially All Victory with Gerald Mosse on board. This horse is working very well and will not be easy to run down. Having said that, Scarlet Camellia ran very well first up and has improved. With the better draw, he’s a very strong contender to win the race. This applies to Delish too who came very wide around the bend and gained strongly in the last 100m in his last start. Last but not least, I see Flying Chaparral as another strong contender. Despite his draw from Gate 13, he has improved from his last run, in which he was three wide without cover but fought on well for a 5th. With the extra 200m going up to the distance of 1400m, it should suit him better in this occasion.
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