Last Sunday the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup proved to be a great success. Of course, it was a rather worrying scene early in the day when I woke up to find that there was a heavy downpour outside. The Sha Tin Racecourse was not spared the deluge as we recorded about 120mm of rainfall that morning. But fortunately the weather condition improved significantly as the afternoon progressed, and thankfully our races were held mainly under fine weather conditions. By the time of the big race itself, race fans found themselves basking beneath sultry sunshine and, after the race, some of the overseas racing media that I spoke to praised the good condition of the track after such heavy rainfall. They were particularly impressed by how quickly the track had dried out.
The improved weather and track conditions certainly enhanced the attractiveness of our spring international event, and our race winner – Rulership from Japan – delivered an authoritative run as he broke clear from the rest of the field at the top of the home straight to claim the top prize. But the home team also extended its decent form from the December internationals, filling the remaining places in the frame. Thumbs Up emulated what he did in the Hong Kong Vase to finish runner-up, and two of our top Rising Stars from the four-year-old generation – Sweet Orange and Zaidan – made encouraging strides to take 3rd and 4th.
Rulership’s winning style brought to mind that of Cityscape in the Dubai Duty Free in March, as both of them pulled away from the chasing pack and had more or less cemented their victories when passing the furlong pole. I think it’s also great for Japan to register a win here as it shows that overseas runners can exhibit their top performance on our home turf. It is healthy for Hong Kong racing to have these top-class overseas stars coming to our international events and carrying home the trophy. If our home team was to keep dominating our internationals, it would soon prove difficult for us to get more top quality overseas runners to come!
Meanwhile, Sunday’s feature was a perfect send-off for Rulership’s jockey Umberto Rispoli, who finished his current riding stint in Hong Kong on a high note with this remarkable riding performance. I hope he will enjoy every success working with trainer Mikel Delzangles in France during the current European racing season.
The excitement surrounding Rulership’s win in AP QEII Cup has me eagerly looking forward to our next international event this upcoming Sunday - the BMW Champions Mile, in which Dubai Duty Free winner Cityscape will be one of four participating overseas contenders. It promises to be a stunning renewal, but before then, there will be a midweek race meeting at Happy Valley tonight, which will also mark the opening of the latest racing-themed restaurant at our unique city racetrack.
In recent years, we have launched a variety of new services and new racecourse facilities, in order to meet the needs of different customer segments. And in The Gallery, our new racing-themed restaurant located on the third floor of the Public Stand of Happy Valley Racecourse, we have blended racing, betting, stylish dining and digital entertainment, giving those public racing customers a new dimension, one of premier services and entertainment at a fair cost.
Those of you who visit The Gallery but haven’t brought along your smart device to the racecourse, will be offered a pioneering service. You will be able to borrow one of the venues iPads for free. So, no matter whether you are a staunch racing fan or a horseracing beginner, everyone can enjoy the racing and betting, as well as participate in a range of exclusive apps that include interactive quiz games, while watching the races in this trendy racing venue at the Valley. You may learn more information about The Gallery, as well as related reservation details, in our press announcement later today.
Those of you attending the Valley this evening will be able to enjoy a real Gallic treat as we will be hosting the Le Valley Francais party here throughout the night. Not only will we turn the racecourse into a little corner of France with decorations, we will also provide French music for your enjoyment, while special French food treats and desserts prepared by a renowned patissier will be available to buy. Hopefully you will create some great memories with your friends in this great Gallic atmosphere at the racecourse tonight.
The eight races on the card are equally attractive. The Japan Racing Association Trophy as a Class 3 over 1650m is expected to be run at a good pace on the A Course. Four of the horses in the field are capable to lead. The awkwardly drawn Happy Seven needs to work early to get to the front, with Jimson The Best from Gate 3, Snitzel Kid out of Gate 2 and Travel Guide out of Gate 1 also leading or taking a seat behind the leader. Snitzel Kid is working well and is one of the main chances for me. Absolute Fantasy should be well positioned and is working very well. He is another win and place chance in this very competitive race. Enthusing had a little health problem after his last race, but he seems to have overcome it. He needs some luck to get a good position, so as not to get caught wide, but he remains to be a main contender in this event. My first pick of all is Elegance Klammer who from Gate 11 will have to be taken back, but he’s working extremely well. He was short of room in his last race, but the good pace today should help him to come with a strong run to win tonight.
The Sauternes Cup is run as a Class 3 over 1200m and the pace is expected to be good to fast, which will help some of the horses coming from the back. Dr Super led in his last run over course and distance, and will try from Gate 9 to do the same tonight, but he will probably be joined by Lucky Turbo from Gate 3 and Vintage Hussler from Gate 10 in this race. Despite that, this John Size-trained runner is working very well and is still a win and place chance, but the pace will make it more difficult for him. Lucky Turbo is a solid place chance for me but my first choice is Sea The Pearls, who should be well placed to make use of his advantage from Gate 1. My other main chance is Kick Serve who is working well too and with Douglas Whyte in the saddle, he should get the perfect ride from Gate 2.
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