The many of you who have followed our races for over a decade may well remember the time in the 1990s when we had several female jockeys riding in Hong Kong. I've recently gone through the Club's almanac and learned that we once invited Julie Krone – then the most successful female jockey in North America and probably the world – to participate in our Ladies' Purse Day. That was in 1994, and this Hall of Fame rider did not disappoint local racing fans as she grabbed a double for our now-retired trainer Wong Tang-ping in the first two races of that meeting.
There were also several talented female apprentice jockeys in Hong Kong during the same period, and I believe many of you will still hold fond memories of their riding performances at Sha Tin and Happy Valley. Though these young ladies may have appeared very diminutive on their mounts, they showed that they were every bit as capable and competitive on the track as their male counterparts.
Our racing fans will once again have the chance to watch a top female jockey riding in Hong Kong from today onwards, as Canadian rider Emma-Jayne Wilson will be joining us for the next two months. She becomes the first overseas female jockey to whom we have granted a short-term licence.
You may recall that Emma was one of our guest jockeys a few weeks ago for our Cathay Pacific International Jockeys' Championship, and I'm sure you'll agree with me that she made a very impressive debut here that night. Based in Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, she is the first female to win a Canadian Triple Crown race event in its history. With Canadian racing currently taking a winter break, however, we are delighted to have the chance of bringing Emma to Hong Kong again.
It's been almost 10 years since we last had a Club jockey here from North America – that was the renowned Gary Stevens, who spent a few months riding here in the 1998/99 season. I hope all Hong Kong racing fans will enjoy watching Emma's American-style riding techniques and give her your support in these few weeks. May I take this opportunity to send her my own best wishes for her three rides this afternoon.
By the way, Vengeance Of Rain will have his first run after the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup last December, and feature in the Group 3 Centenary Vase today. Although he's required to carry top weight of 133 pounds in this race, I still hope he can perform better this time, eventually improve his form and prepare for the Dubai Sheema Classic in the United Arab Emirates in March – the International Group One race that he won last year. I would anticipate a close competition in this race among Vengeance Of Rain, Packing Winner and Viva Macau and I would not be surprised that Viva Macau could spoil the party because he has shown good performance on soft going in France. Besides, Pickett in Race 8 has also attracted me with his decent performance in the 1200m all weather track.
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