Last Saturday we had a fascinating race meeting at Sha Tin, capped by the success of Pure Champion in the Centenary Vase. But we also witnessed interesting performances from some exciting four-year-old’s, which may well have boosted their chances of making it into the Derby line-up on 17 March.
I chatted with some media friends after the races and most of them praised the inspired victory of Mizani in a Class 2 mile event. Mizani and his stable mates Hong Kong Classic Mile winner Gold-Fun, along with Akeed Mofeed, are likely to form a three-pronged assault for trainer Richard Gibson in the local classic next month. Despite being impressed with Mizani, some are still of the view that if it comes to the Derby distance of 2000m, Akeed Mofeed will be the most competitive horse among the trio, reflecting that this Irish import remains the prime focus as we move closer to the Derby next month.
As for my personal assessment of Mizani, before the race I thought that the only worry for this young runner, making his second start in Hong Kong, would be his ability to handle the fast track condition. But he still managed to win the race, despite the fact that he had to work to fend off the late challenge of Let Me Handle It. Although Mizani was receiving 13 pounds from the latter horse, I liked the way he responded in the final stages and as such the performance was very encouraging. I will closely follow and see if he recovers well from this race and it will be interesting to observe his ability to handle the drier tracks and whether he will be effective over the longer distance.
There were a couple of other four-year-olds that showed a glimpse of their talents in their outings last Saturday. Poetic Justice and Blazing Speed – from John Moore and Caspar Fownes’ yards – ran promisingly despite the fact that both of them were only making their first start here in Hong Kong and were denied clear passage in the stretch. These two horses looked in need of that run, and will surely come on for the experience. Along with Moore’s other Derby nominee Sunny Ying, who won nicely in a Class 3 1800m event that day, they might yet prove to be potent forces in the challenge for big-race honours and I’ll continue to keep an eye on their progress in training and in their race performances.
For sure these exciting Derby hopefuls will capture many racing fans’ attention in upcoming race meetings. But before then, let’s take our focus back to our last race meeting in the Year of the Dragon at Happy Valley tonight.
Actually, up to this point of the current racing season, the staunch support given by our racing fans has enabled us to report a healthy growth for our race-related figures at Valley night meetings. Of the previous 16 night race meetings held at the Valley this season, we reported a slight increase of about two per cent in average attendance, while the growth in turnover figures is even more remarkable as there were 13 meetings whose figures exceeded the HK$900 million mark.
We are thrilled with these positive results as it reflects race fans’ endorsement of the huge investments we have made in refurbishing and enhancing the different racecourse facilities at Happy Valley, the various Happy Wednesday-themed meetings and on-course attractions arranged for different customer segments and racegoers; and the efforts we have made in improving the overall quality of races here. These positive moves have paid off handsomely in terms of both the increase in turnover and attendance, and importantly in the improved racing experience. The success of the rare Friday meeting on 28 December, which was well-received by racing fans, also offered us much confidence to know that, in special circumstances, we can arrange night meeting on weekdays other than Wednesdays. We will definitely endeavour to do more and look at ways to improve further.
With it being February, it means our Happy Valley race series the 1O1O Million Challenge has entered its final stage. Tonight three of the top 10 contenders on the leader board – namely the 2nd-placed Gold Racer, as well as joint-4th Imperial Rome and Romantic City – will participate in races in an attempt to rack up more points as they chase current leader Cape Canaveral. I believe many racing fans like me will be interested to see how they perform this evening.
Among the trio, Imperial Rome and Romantic City will both feature in the Hip Wo Handicap, a Class 2 1000m event with an expanded handicap range of 105 to 80. Among the 12 runners in the field, however, only two horses are currently with ratings over 100. The expected pace of this race is good to fast, with strong pacesetters Romantic City and Good Boy Boy pushing for the lead. Final Answer and Amedeo could join or competing for good spots behind the leaders just off the pace with Charity Spirit and Horse Galore. Regency Luck and Voile Rouge should be well placed with Simple behind midfield, with Alpinefield, Longwah Supreme and last not least Imperial Rome at the back.
Romantic City from Gate 3 should not be underestimated and is working well, but he is more a place chance for me. Charity Spirit is coming back from 1200m to 1000m, which I believe is more to his liking and is a place chance on this occasion. Imperial Rome is in fantastic form and working very well, but 1000m is a little bit on the short side for him. He should run home fast but I think a place is likely the best outcome for him. My pick of the race is Simple who is working very well. Even the Gate 7 draw is not too ideal, and he needs to come from midfield, these factors should not stop him to win. His form of being beaten only a neck when carrying 131 pounds by Frederick Engels – recently placed in a HKG1 sprint event – looks now even better!
Comment
