Back in 1975 the Club launched the Mark Six lottery as a means to provide a regulated lottery game to the local community. Over the past few decades, billions of dollars of proceeds generated from the Mark Six draw have been allocated to the Lotteries Fund. The money raised has subsequently been used to support charity projects across many different sectors, and so has benefitted many thousands who are in need in our community.
Lotteries similar to the one we have here in Hong Kong are also rather popular in many other countries, as I’m sure you know. It caught my attention that in the US this week, a lottery created a huge frenzy with a mega jackpot draw that saw two lucky winners share a prize of US$636 million, equal to almost HK$5 billion. But personally, another lottery story that caught my attention was far more interesting. I was touched when I read about a lottery winner in Canada – a retired electric company director living in Calgary who has decided to donate to charities every cent of the CAD 40 million he won from a Western Canada lottery back in May. One of the groups to have benefitted is a cancer centre local to him, which cared for his wife who passed away there last year.
Although the retired director probably has enough for his own needs without the lottery windfall, it still takes a special kind of generosity to give it all away and it seems to me to be a gesture full of love and care and humanity.
Those of you who are involved in following our racing can also become potential charity donors as we too allocate a major part of our income from races to the Club’s Charities Trust, to be used for various donation and charitable purposes. Our patrons can participate in our upcoming race meetings today and on Boxing Day evening.
We have, naturally, given plenty of thought and careful planning to the arrangement of these two fixtures. Winter Solstice is a significant date and one of the most important festivals for many of you living in Hong Kong. I know that a lot of people will take this opportunity to gather as families and often have a good dinner too. That’s why we have made sure not to clash with the winter solstice day tomorrow and have arranged a Saturday race meeting today.
Similarly at Christmas, while some of you may choose to take a short trip and travel aboard, many will stay in the city, gathering together as families, meeting friends or engaging in various festive activities to celebrate the occasion. By arranging the meeting on Boxing Day evening, you can join us for a fun time at the races without upsetting family plans, or after coming back to Hong Kong from your Christmas trip away. I can’t think of a better way to round off the holiday period, and enjoy a bit more fun and Christmas atmosphere than at the unique Happy Valley racecourse before some of you going back to work the following day.
I hope you all will be pleased with our arrangements for the next two meetings, and I wish all of you a Merry Christmas with your loved ones!
For the 10 races on the card today, I will put my focus on the last race of the day, the Beas River Handicap which is run as a Class 2 event over 1800m. Business As Usual appears to be the only leader in the field and he should be able to set a slow pace again as in his last start which will suit him. Horses positioned in the front of the field like Lucky Forever, Bubble Chic and Liberator can be well placed, with Crackerjack and Autumn Gold in midfield. Glorious Sunday will have to come from further back with Ashkiyr, while Sea Dragon will have to come from the back of the field.
Crackerjack is working very well and is proven at this distance and is my first choice. Glorious Sunday and Sea Dragon are both working very well too, but they will be making their first attempts over 1800m and it will be interesting to see how they perform. Glorious Sunday won easily last time and has further potential. He is a win and place chance despite the question on whether he can cope with the distance. Lucky Forever is another horse I like for a place, with a similar chance for Business As Usual.
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