Once again, I must commend our tracks team for presenting a sensational surface for racing on Wednesday at Happy Valley Racecourse. While there was mist and light drizzle throughout the meeting, the on-course recordings showed nearly 90mm of rain fell on course in the hours before. Still, the course was rated good-to-yielding, and there were even many sectional times inside of standard. The drainage and ongoing maintenance to maintain suitable and safe conditions for racing are superb and a testament to the hard work of our team.
Similarly, last Sunday’s final day of the Hong Kong Sevens saw plenty of rain early in the day but after three days of great competition, the pitch at Hong Kong Stadium was still in top shape for the final where Fiji defeated the All Blacks for their 16th overall championship at the event. The Club has provided a tremendous amount of resources to ensure the pitch at HK Stadium is in good order and will continue to lend support as needed.
While mentioning other local sports, I learnt that some of our local elite athletes did exceptionally well this week. The table tennis team produced some admirable results in the Asia Olympic qualifiers held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium - just walking distance from my office at Happy Valley - over the past few days. In Japan, our top fencing athlete Edgar Cheung won the Men’s Foils individual competition in the Asian Fencing Championships, marking a new chapter in history becoming Hong Kong’s champion at the event.
It’s delightful to see our top athletes having these wonderful achievements both at home and abroad, and to demonstrate Hong Kong people’s “can-do spirit” in these world-class contests. Today at Sha Tin is our annual Community Day meeting and we will welcome a variety of partners and beneficiaries from the many projects sponsored by the Club, including many who come from various sports sectors. The Club has focused substantially on supporting local sporting development, and this afternoon we will announce the details of our latest initiatives in supporting five “Sports for All” programmes. You can learn more these details later today.
The tenth race - the Age-Friendly Society Handicap - is a Class 2 event over the C+3 course with a field of 12 to travel 1,200 metres. Go Baby Go and Our Folks are both likely to go to the front and Pablosky is likely to begin well and settle just off them. Washington Heights is another who should go forward too. There are quite a few who want to race in midpack and press the front runners, including Winston’s Lad and Key Witness. Secret Command and Silly Buddies will be close to midpack with Why Why and My Little Friend nearby. Country Melody is at risk of getting caught wide and could also push forward. The pace should be good.
Washington Heights has shown solid form early in his Hong Kong career with a win and a second. He was blocked for the first part of the stretch last time but was still clear of the competition. He continues to work well. Secret Command runs with blinkers off and adds a visor for this race, two starts after a very good third behind Amazing Kids and Lucky Bubbles. He is another runner in great fitness at the moment and Joao Moreira is back aboard. I give the slight edge to Secret Command but both are strong win and place chances. Country Melody is a placing chance for the in-form Brett Prebble following his treble at Happy Valley. While he will likely endure a wide trip, if the pace is faster than expected, he could manage to get in the frame.
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