Wednesday was the night that both Gerald Mosse and Nash Rawiller made their seasonal debuts in Hong Kong this term. Gerald looked like he had never been away as he notched a winning double and was crowned the winner of the night’s Jockey Challenge. As for Nash, even though he couldn’t land a winner from his six rides I noticed that a few racing commentators praised his riding performance aboard second-placed Executive Mandate. I’m sure I won’t be the only one paying attention to his rides in the next few meetings to see if he can break his duck soon.
It won’t be long before Happy Valley once again takes centre stage on Wednesday evenings. Last night we staged eight barrier trials at the track to test the newly upgraded floodlights, with light focusing more evenly on the course, and the track surface, which had been excavated in two places as part of the government’s ongoing flood prevention work at Happy Valley. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and I know the trainers and jockeys were satisfied after the trials.
Meanwhile, as we move into late October and early November, there will be a series of major overseas race meetings for us all to enjoy. One of these meetings I most look forward to will be the Breeders’ Cup race meetings as our runner Rich Tapestry will be heading to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on 1 November. A former Breeders’ Cup winner was also in the news this week, as Cigar, the legendary winner of the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 24. Many of you know that Cigar won 16 consecutive races during his career, and was the inaugural Dubai World Cup winner in 1996. It’s unfortunate that such a great horse did not have any offspring that could extend his legacy, as he proved to be infertile. Anyway, he will certainly be missed by those who cared for him but at least his outstanding achievements will forever be in racing fans’ minds.
A new star horse emerged in the sprint company in Japan last week as Snow Dragon got his maiden G1 victory in the Sprinters Stakes at Niigata. I’m delighted to learn that after the victory, his connections have already put their target firmly on the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint in December. I’ve heard the same about Irish speedster Sole Power who finished runner-up to Lord Kanaloa last year and grabbed a pair of G1 wins over 1000m in England this season. It’s exciting that these two top horses have the world’s richest sprint race in their imminent plans. Let’s see if they will come and attempt to give us a third consecutive win for Japan or to become the first Sprint winner from Europe.
Talking about Hong Kong star horses who seek for overseas glory, I think some of you may know that Dan Excel is now in his overseas campaign in Australia. Despite the horse was originally targeted to take part in major races down there, but his entire plan may now be changed and it’s possible for him to make an early return to the city to prepare for the LONGINES HKIR. This John Moore’s runner was withdrawn yesterday from a Listed event at Caulfield this afternoon, with reports suggesting that it was due to throat issue. I learnt that its connections are deciding on whether to run the horse in Australia again, if so the horse is likely to be transported back to Hong Kong next month. I’m sure the connections know the horse better than anyone else and I believe their decisions will be in the best interests for the horse. Hopefully the horse will soon recover and have a smoother preparation ahead of our international race in December.
Back to our races at Sha Tin tomorrow, a full field of 14 lines up in the Cafeteria Handicap, a Class 2 finale with an extended rating band of 105-80, to be run over 1400m. All eyes will be on Divine Calling, a highly regarded newcomer to the racing scene here and a horse that finished second in a Group 1 in Australia one year ago to the very day. He has had the benefit of over five months of preparation in Hong Kong, including three recent barrier trials, and is best suited at 1400m to 1600m. This will be his first race in over 11 months and his first in Hong Kong, so I will be very interested in his performance tomorrow as he begins his Hong Kong career on a 94 rating. He has drawn the inside barrier and is a solid place chance in the race.
My top preference in the race is Dundonnell, a very consistent horse over this trip and one that should be well placed from his good draw behind a moderate pace. His main rival in the race figure to be Beauty Flame, a horse that is in very good form and the likely leader in the race. He showed good form at a mile in Europe before coming to Hong Kong and is now at the top of his game. Trump was a smart winner four weeks ago and should be another runner to benefit from the race tempo. Deep Thinker is also a place chance along with All You Wish, who returns to his preferred distance after a seven-month break and is working well. He was a five-time winner two seasons ago and has won four out of seven over the course and distance.
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