LONGINES Hong Kong International Races week is finally here and just like all of our local racing fans, it’s a time of year that I have been eagerly looking forward to. Last week I made a short trip to Guangzhou for another horse-related event involving both the Club and Longines, an equestrian event, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Cup Guangzhou Final.
As the closing leg of the 2014 Longines China Tour, it was the first CSI 3-star competition held in Guangzhou since the Asian Games equestrian events were staged there four years ago. This latest competition attracted participation from most of China’s top equestrian riders and also several top equestrian competitors from overseas. Our HKJC sponsored rider Patrick Lam made my trip even more worthwhile as I was delighted to see him ride really well and finish runner-up in two jump contests on Saturday and Sunday. Besides our sponsorship, we also showed our support by donating an equine ambulance to the Chinese Equestrian Association, as well as hosting a series of talks over horse care and welfare for equestrian professionals there. I’m sure the equine equipment and the talks that were held will be useful for the mainland equine professionals and the development of the equine industry in China.
Back to Hong Kong and after attending the races on Sunday I had some up-close interaction with top-class horses and horsemen by attending the Sha Tin trackwork the next morning. It's very true to say that the HKIR is also an occasion of international gathering. I was happy to bump into former Hong Kong-based trainer David Hayes at the IJC jockey allocation ceremony.
David is a familiar figure to most local racing media and fans. After he returned to train in Australia in 2005, he has been back to Hong Kong for racecourse visits on several occasions, but this is the first time he has come back with a runner in our international races. His stable ace Criterion has nice credentials, being a Derby winner. I saw the horse working that morning in person and it appeared to have settled nicely into a routine here. It also looked like was in good order despite the false alarm about colic just prior to his flight here. I’m sure many of you will have heard by now that David attributes that incident to the horse suffering an allergic reaction, rather than colic. I’ll be keeping an eye on his trackwork leading into his run in the Cup race on Sunday.
Yesterday I also met many familiar faces when all 12 IJC participating jockeys attended a meet-the-media session at Happy Valley racecourse. There are a few old hands like Christophe Soumillon and Ryan Moore, but also a couple of new faces in S’Manga Khumalo and Irad Ortiz.
Despite some of them having just arrived early yesterday morning, they all looked bright and ready, and keen to do their best in the competition. I’m sure they will produce an exciting contest and I expect some thrilling finishes in the International Jockeys Champion this evening.
By the way, tonight, thanks to an agreement with the Singapore Turf Club, we will also welcome Singapore in a commingled pools arrangement on Hong Kong races. It marks a key milestone for the co-operation between us and the Turf Club, as they have carried live races from Hong Kong for some 20 years, and our races have been quite popular and familiar among Singapore racing fans over these years. I hope these latest arrangements will enhance their enjoyment and bring them even closer to the atmosphere at Happy Valley tonight.
For those of you who want to join us this evening, please do come early as the first of our nine races will start 45 minutes earlier than usual, at 6.30pm. I’ve done a bit of analysis on the four IJC races and the winning chance of all participating jockeys. I think this year’s Longines IJC is a very open competition and the last race is likely to be the decider of the contest.
In the first leg which is a Class 4 race over 1650m, the pace is expected to be good to slow, which should give horses in front a slight advantage. Last time winner Win It is the most likely leader and is a win and place chance for Zac Purton here. One Of A Kind with Richard Hughes, Expectator with James McDonald and Golden Scalpel with Joao Moreira are my other picks for the points in the Jockey Challenge.
The second leg in race 5 is a Class 4 event over 1000m, with an expected good to fast pace. Irad Ortiz may have chance to collect some points on Golden Bauhinia from the good draw, but I prefer more on Flashing Guy with S’Manga Khumalo on board, also Ocean Roar as partnered by Yuichi Fukunaga. The fast pace may also help Christophe Soumillon to get some points from his mount Jolly Posh.
The third leg in race 7 and is a Class 4 race over 1650m, with an expected good pace which should give every horse and rider a fair chance. Vara Pearl with Fukunaga and Southern Springs with Kerrin McEvoy on board are my first picks in this race, along with Soumillon’s mount Heavenisaracehorse. I also like Elegance Klammer with Moreira on board and Hughes’ mount Mazandaran. Both horses are my next choices.
The finale of the series in race 8 is a Class 3 event over 1650m, with an expected pace of being good which is fair to all horses. Starting Over with Soumillion and Wah May Baby ridden by Fukunaga are my favourites. My next choices are Griffindor with Moreira and Amazingly ridden by Ryan Moore to complete the picture.
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