Designs On Rome once again showed everybody the class that made him Horse of the Year last season with an exciting victory in the HKG3 Centenary Vase last Saturday. Having nudged Military Attack at the wire for a narrow win in the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup last time, he again landed another short-head verdict when conceding 18 pounds to the race’s runner-up Packing Llaregyb.
In my opinion it was a colossal performance as not only did Designs On Rome show his sheer quality but the horse also demonstrated his tenacity and big heart. It was of course the perfect result in his preparation for the G1 Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup on 1 March. I’m looking forward to seeing whether or not John Moore’s star can get his third international G1 success in that race, when he will likely face Military Attack once again.
Joao Moreira rode an inch-perfect race on Designs On Rome. Time and time again we see our top jockeys riding with great skill and exact timing. It’s the same in elite equestrianism. If you take showjumping, the riders and the horses who take part display great precision, an expert technique and consistency. It’s common for the winner of a showjumping competition to be decided by a margin of only hundredths of a second. They have to maintain their concentration from start to finish, making sure not to knock down any poles as should any rider and horse incur any jumping faults it would likely affect any realistic chance of winning the competition.
I mention showjumping because we have a big event right here in Hong Kong this weekend. Any of you who are enthusiastic followers of equestrian sport will already be counting down the days to the Longines Hong Kong Masters, the largest 5-star show jumping competition in Asia, which the Club will again support as an institutional partner. Making the event a bit more special this year, and adding an extra appeal to racing fans, is an exciting and slightly unusual contest involving our jockeys. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.
Four of our top jockeys here in Hong Kong, namely Joao Moreira, Neil Callan, Matthew Chadwick and Vincent Ho, will take part in a fun challenge tied to this world-class equestrian occasion, the HKJC 130th Anniversary Races of the Riders which will be held on the opening night of the competition on Friday. Each jockey will receive guidance from a top show jumping rider the day prior to the event, and the four jockeys will compete in a speed challenge, tackling a jumping course against the clock. It’s quite a unique competition, similar to a challenge held at London’s Olympia in December, which proved very popular and exciting. It offers the chance for Hong Kong’s fans of racing and equestrianism to unite in seeing these jockeys cross over and show their horsemanship in a fun but competitive environment. I look forward to seeing them exhibit their horse-back talents in a different sphere.
We will also be sponsoring 1,000 complimentary tickets to enable some Hong Kong students to experience the sheer excitement of a major equestrian event. For those fans who may not be able to watch on-site, you may watch the live broadcast sessions on Friday night. And the competition coverage will also be available on Saturday and Sunday.
I knew that certain elite showjumping riders who are going to participate Hong Kong Masters, including Olympic gold medallist Scott Brash from the UK, as well as local rider and HKJC Equestrian Team member Raena Leung, will also make a visit to our racecourse tonight to enjoy the exciting and unique races at Happy Valley that carries a special theme of ringing in the Year of the Ram. There they can understand more about the local culture and attractions related to the Lunar New Year, also to first watch the four flat race jockeys to lock horns out on the city track.
For the eight races on the card, the Tsuen Wan Handicap is the last race tonight and is run as a Class 2 with an extended rating band from 105 to 80 over 1200m. Bullish Friend with a Class 1 rating of 102 is in the field and he will likely be pushing forward together with Pablosky to overcome their wide draws. Fabulous November has led throughout over this trip and will try to do the same and will be joined by Happy Yeah Yeah. All Great Friends should be able to get the box seat behind the leaders and this setup should result in a good pace early in the race. Great Spirit should be positioned in midfield with Victorius from his wide gate should find some cover and has to come from the tail of the field.
All Great Friends is working well and is a win and place chance as are Great Spirit and Fabulous November. Pablosky is very good on the dirt and he is working well but I have to be convinced that he is as effective as on the turf. Victorius has a place chance but he has to overcome his wide draw.
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