Last Sunday at Sha Tin we had the running of this season’s Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup. I was glad to see reigning Horse of the Year Military Attack finally return to winning form as he notched his first victory of the season. As I mentioned in my last blog before the race, it seems to me that Military Attack is the kind of horse that comes into form at this time of the season. He lived up to my expectations by thumping his classy opponents in the style of a champion, with his finishing time more than a second faster than the standard time. And there is no questioning the quality of the contest with Champions Mile winner Dan Excel and LONGINES Hong Kong Vase hero Dominant filling the places.
Another overseas campaign beckons for the winner, with Dubai his next destination. Despite receiving an invitation to run in the Dubai Duty Free, connections have expressed their desire to contest the Dubai World Cup. Should he receive an invitation to line up in the world’s richest race, he will become the first Hong Kong runner to feature in the race since Bullish Luck ran third in the 2007 renewal. I shall continue to follow developments and hopefully Military Attack will have a smooth preparation leading into a good performance in Dubai. Perhaps we will be celebrating in Dubai just as we were in Singapore last May!
While connections of Military Attack were beaming in the aftermath of the horse’s latest success, I believe some racing fans may have been a bit disappointed by the performance of Akeed Mofeed. It was said that the horse was upset by the bumping soon after the start, which as a consequence meant that he did not run his race on the day. Reports yesterday suggested the horse seems to be alright and he’s also a likely contender at the World Cup meeting in Dubai next month. Should he also make the trip, I would say we can look forward to a really interesting night for Hong Kong horses in the Middle East, with Dominant, Sterling City, Amber Sky and Joy And Fun also possible runners from Hong Kong.
This past weekend we arranged our first simulcasts of 2014, featuring the Blue Diamond Stakes from Australia. The New Zealand Derby follows hot on its heels this Saturday, and there’s Hong Kong interest in this race, which may attract some attention from our racing fans. Kenneth Lau, one of the owners of Glorious Days, enjoyed a very special moment when that horse won the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile in December, and he has the chance to obtain more glory when his runner Glorious Lad competes in the New Zealand Derby. Hong Kong connections have had good success in the New Zealand Derby in recent years, with Military Attack’s owner Steven Lo winning the 2010 renewal with Military Move. I wish Mr Lau luck as he seeks to become another Hong Kong owner to win the race.
Our own Derby will be run in a little over a fortnight’s time and the excitement has been gradually building up, most recently with BMW Hong Kong Derby entrant Dundonnell’s victory on Sunday. This time next week we will unveil the list of selected runners for the Derby so you can give the runners your close attention.
On the football side of things Germany’s group stage draw in the Euro 2016 competition has been confirmed. Die Mannschaft has been drawn in the same group as Ireland, Scotland, Poland, Georgia and Gibraltar. I would say the latter team interests me the most. I have referred to this team in an earlier blog and this is the first official UEFA tournament in which they will compete. Even though they will play their home games in Portugal and not in Gibraltar, it will certainly be a great experience for them – having the chance to face strong teams like Germany. I will follow their match results as the group stage competition starts later this year, by which time I hope Germany will be reigning World Cup champions!
Let’s get our focus back to local racing, as tonight we host another Happy Valley meeting, which is the second last meeting before the end of this season’s 1O1O Million Challenge. In the Southorn Handicap, Majestic Anthem who has 34 points in the 1O1O Million Challenge will try to get more points on the board in this Class 3 over 1650m. The pace will be good to fast with at least five horses are capable of leading. Grand Elite should find a good position behind the leaders, with Majestic Anthem having to be careful for not been forced to be three wide. But I think he should be able to find cover in midfield. Winning Mascot and Geronimo Meadow will both be at the back which should not be a disadvantage with an expected faster than good pace. Geronimo Meadow is working well recently and he’s my top pick in this race. My second choice goes to Grand Elite, while Majestic Anthem and Winning Mascot are both place chances in my opinion.
Comment
