Race favourites dominated our card at Sha Tin last Sunday, as they won six of the 10 races. One in particular stood out from the rest though; the emphatic performance of Divine Calling, whose first start in Hong Kong proved the highlight of the day for many.
This import - who had top-class form in Australia - made a huge impression as he travelled wonderfully, and what made it especially exciting was the way his jockey Zac Purton sat motionless down the home straight as they took the lead with ease. In fact, the horse did not come off the bridle to win in a fast time of 1m 20.98s, just 0.58 seconds slower than the track record, and he was racing against talented opponents. Over the past 20 years, only five imports from Australia with an initial rating of over 90 have managed to win first-up in Hong Kong. Divine Calling is now one of them, alongside past stars such as Mr Vitality and Elegant Fashion.
One of the great joys of racing is to unearth new stars and it’s encouraging for all of us to see this kind of performance from a highly-rated horse at the first time of asking. I fully agree with Tony Millard’s remarks to the media that there’s no pressing need to ready Divine Calling for the international races, so he will not be rushed into December’s showcase. But I’m sure, should he continue to progress, he will certainly develop into one of the key contenders for the Hong Kong Classic Mile, and perhaps all three legs of the Four-Year-Old series this season.
Including his victory on board Divine Calling, Zac had a great time on Sunday as he notched a hat-trick of wins. This weekend, his focus will be split between here and Australia, as he will go back to his home nation to partner Japanese runner Admire Rakti in the G1 Caulfield Cup in Melbourne. Douglas Whyte and Joao Moreira will also compete in the same race. Douglas will be on board Junoob and Moreira atop Gris Caro. It’s pleasing to see our three top jockeys being so sought after for this top G1 event in Australia. You can see their live performances via our simulcast on Saturday.
As for my other passion, football, with several key players sidelined due to injuries, Germany suffered a disappointing and first ever defeat to Poland last week. It’s not too good to see them continue showing their lowly form as they allowed Ireland to salvage a late draw in the stoppage time in the 2016 Euro qualifier last night. I hope they all will pay better in the next international break next month. Mind you, most local football fans would have paid more attention to last night’s international friendly between Hong Kong and Argentina, staged to celebrate the centenary anniversary of the Hong Kong Football Association.
I was present in the Hong Kong Stadium for the match and I think it was fantastic to see such a world-class team playing in Hong Kong, and the 30 minutes of Messi magic mesmerized the crowd. It is amazing to see his control of the ball, balance.ability, the way he accelerates and dancing through defenders and scoring with ease. Despite the scoreline, I think the Hong Kong team had done their best but it was very difficult for them to play at a pace and intensity the Argentinian Team forced upon them.
Getting back to racing, tonight’s midweek Sha Tin meeting on the all-weather track will be the last of this type for a little while, as starting next week the midweek night races will return to Happy Valley. In the races tonight, the sixth race is the Fakei Cup, revived in 1976 to commemorate the United States bicentenary. It is a Class 3 at 1800m to be run on our American-style dirt track with a moderate pace expected and all 11 runners in search of their first win on the surface. Executive Mandate had a promising first-up and first-time run on the dirt last week when he closed well to narrowly miss going a mile and looks like he will appreciate the additional distance tonight. He should be well positioned in midfield or closer from his good draw and is an each way chance for me.
Alpinefield ran well in his only attempt over this track and distance at the end of last season and comes off a solid effort in his last start on National Day. He should be a prominent factor from the inside, helping to make the running along with Horse Aplenty, another horse showing good form early in the new season. Both horses are a place chance in the race, along with Cartoon Fay Fay, a horse that handled the surface last season with a pair of good efforts and a horse with two Kentucky Derby winners in his pedigree line.
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