Among the countless donations to charitable and community projects that the Club makes each year through the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, we have long put a high priority on educational projects, and in particular tertiary education initiatives in recent years. Club donations have made possible the establishment of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, as well as many important facilities of other universities and institutions. We see these projects as some important contributions to helping Hong Kong maintain its competitive edge in today's increasingly globalised world by moving up the value chain, as it were, and becoming a more knowledge-based economy.
Earlier this week, the Open University of Hong Kong became our latest beneficiary, as we have donated some HK$200 million for the construction of a new 12-storey college building at its main campus in Ho Man Tin, and the launch of a five-year Integrated Healthcare Education Programme there. This takes our total donations to the Open University since 1989 to more than HK$340 million.
As you may know, the Open University is rather different from other tertiary institutions as it offers the chance of lifelong learning to citizens of all backgrounds and ages though a variety of full-time, part-time and distance learning courses, through flexible learning schedules and channels. On completion of the new college building in late 2013, it will be able to accommodate over 2,400 full-time students and support some 17,000 distance learners. It will also enable OUHK to introduce new academic divisions covering three key disciplines, namely Cultural and Creative Arts, Testing and Certification and Medical Services.
I think it's wonderful that the sport of horse racing in Hong Kong is able to return such widespread benefits to the community through the Club's not-for-profit business model. At the same time, we view equal importance in nurturing our home-grown riding talents into top-class riders. Apart from arranging our trainee apprentice jockeys to receive training and obtain experiences in overseas races before allowing them to ride in local races, should any opportunity arise, we are also pleased to let our apprentice jockeys to take part in overseas competitions, so as to give them the chance to gain further exposure and race experience at the international level.
Our apprentice jockey Ben So paid a visit this past week to the Gulf area to participate in the Qatar Apprentice Jockeys Invitation Races and I’m glad that he was able to ride a winner in the second leg of the series, a Purebred Arabian horse race, as he claimed a fine third place overall.
It’s nice to see him grabbing the opportunity with both hands when the winning chance did arrive. The positive results achieved by Ben this time, along with the past success of Derek Leung in the Asian Young Guns Challenge in 2010, and Vincent Ho’s third-place finish in the same series last summer, prove the quality of our apprentice jockeys and the high standard of our apprentice training programmes. I’m sure these excursions would provide some good experiences for all apprentice jockeys’ career development.
I know that Ben has already returned to Hong Kong from Qatar, so that he wouldn’t miss our races at Sha Tin tomorrow, for which he is booked to ride four runners. Ben stills needs five more wins to graduate from his apprenticeship. So let’s see if he can achieve this feat in the near future.
Tomorrow we will have HK Group 1 action on offer for the third weekend in a row with the running of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, final leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series. Since this 1400m race was promoted to G1 status in 2006, trainer John Moore has won three of the six editions. He is again strong-handed for tomorrow's race, fielding six of the eleven runners including evergreen warriors Able One and Sunny King, who can never be written off in top-class races.
In the meantime, it will be interesting to note whether some of the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby entrants such as Packing Tycoon, Dan Excel, Military Attack and Same World can deliver some nice results tomorrow, so as to enhance their chances of being selected to this year’s Derby when we announce the line-up of Derby runners next Wednesday.
For the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, it is expected to be run at a good to slow pace, with regular pacesetter Aashiq in the front, joining by John Moore-trained Leading City. Leading City is at his best distance of 1400m and with his good last run in the Chairman's Sprint Prize over 1200m, he will be a place chance for me. Lucky Nine can make use of his good draw to settle behind the leaders. The additional 200m should suit him and he is working very well and is the horse to beat in this race. His main opponent is the unbeaten Glorious Days who is working well too and will be placed around midfield. As a four-year-old he is very impressive and improving, but I still prefer Lucky Nine as proven international Group 1 winner over him. Admiration is another four-year-old runner in the field, he should not be underestimated in running over what I believe is his best distance. He will have nice chance for a place.
The Lion City Handicap is run as a Class 1 over 1800m and appears to be a “qualifier” for the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby in a fortnight, as seven of the 14 race starters have the ambition to be chosen for the Derby. The good to slow pace will favour a little bit for horses in the front of the field. Both Happy Guys and Packing Tycoon from their high draws will have to work to go to the front. Packing Tycoon ran a disappointing 12th in his last start in the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Classic Cup. He has to improve and is working fine recently, but is for me not yet fully settled in. Dan Excel should get a good position behind the speed and is working very well and has improved from his last run. He is one of my picks in the race for a win and place chance. His main opponents will be coming from the same stable and Military Attack was very impressive in his winning debut in Hong Kong, and has come as a standby starter in the field. He should be able to get a good position and is for me a win and place chance, too. Same World from the John Moore yard is also working very well. His last run was very encouraging and is right on target and is one of my picks to run a place at least! Horses who can spoil the four-year-olds’ party are Jamesina who is in good form and in a dangerous handicap rating, as well as Carthage who is showing good form lately.
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