We had another smooth and successful race meeting at Happy Valley on Wednesday with turnover reaching its second highest total for a night meeting this season, though my enjoyment of the evening was rather dampened by two pieces of not-so-happy news I received the same day.
The first was the passing of our former champion trainer George Moore. I think most of our veteran racing fans will still remember this legendary Australian horseman very well, especially the feats of his champion Hong Kong horses like Super Win, Silver Lining and Gilgit, and the great trainer-jockey partnership he established with his son Gary.
Quite a number of racing fans approached me at Happy Valley on Wednesday to say how saddened they were to hear this news. But they were delighted to have the chance to recollect their memories from a video footage the Club has shown on the Diamond Vision screen, on George's career in Hong Kong that night. I think it's only right that we should pay a last tribute to this outstanding horseman who contributed so much in the early years of professional racing in Hong Kong, and I'm very pleased that this gesture was appreciated by our fans.
The other piece of news that surprised me was the withdrawal of the Swiss dressage team from the Olympic equestrian events being staged in Hong Kong this summer, reportedly because of concerns about the hot weather and the long flight duration.
There were some 17 overseas equestrian riders and horses competing in the Good Luck Beijing – Hong Kong SAR 10th Anniversary Cup competition last August, included quite a number that travelled from Europe and contested in dressage. All the horses coped well with the weather conditions, and our visitors were full of praise for the equestrian facilities the Club has built for the Olympics and the special measures we've implemented to help keep the horses cool.
Actually, we recognised the impact of Hong Kong's hot and humid conditions on the equestrian horses right at the earliest stages of planning for the Olympic events. We've since put in place comprehensive strategies to address this issue, covering all aspects of horse care including stabling, cooling stations, transport arrangements and veterinary services. As it turned out, last summer's test event was held in quite seriously adverse weather conditions, but all the horses and riders coped with the settings and environment very effectively. I'm confident that all horses and riders will be able to perform with competence in the Olympics themselves this August.
It's sunny and a bit humid today but our course going at the Sha Tin racetrack is good. In today's race meeting, I will be especially keeping an eye on Bouncer (Race 3) and Deerfield (Race 5), as both horses have nice runs over 1,200 metres last time and I hope they both will have better results at an extended distance (1,400 metres) today. For our three all-weather track races, I will pay my attention on Top Honor (Race 8) as its recent forms have been remarkable and extremely consistent.
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