Human capital is always the key to success in any business, and the racing industry is no different - Hong Kong racing could not be where is today without such a great pool of human talent at its disposal. This explains why the Club has been dedicated to developing its own home-grown racing talents over the years, providing keen young horsemen and horsewomen with systematic training, and I'm pleased to say that a significant number have gone on to become outstanding trainers or jockeys. Having established our Racing Development Board in 2005, we took another step forward yesterday with the opening of a Racing Talent Development Stable at Sha Tin Racecourse.
This new facility provides our racing staff and trainees with a replicated stable setting for training and conducting professional development and research, and is a further milestone in our development of accredited training programmes. Apart from its benefits for local young talent, it can help assist other racing jurisdictions with their training and accreditation of racing professionals and administrators, a target I set out to achieve when elected Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation a year ago.
I'm glad to learn that one of the highlight features of this facility, the bilingual Online Learning Platform, has already attracted a lot of interest from our counterparts in and around the region, with Dubai, New Zealand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and providers in Australia already discussing access options with the Club. I hope some form of co-operation agreements will emerge very soon.
Where the racing industry differs from others, of course, is that not only human talent but also a steady supply of new equine talent is critical for success. Fortunately, we have a lot of great equine talent here in Hong Kong too, and tomorrow we will have plenty of opportunity to see that when two of the season's most important domestic Group One races take place at Sha Tin Racecourse: the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby and the Queen Silver Jubilee Cup.
The Hong Kong Derby will be celebrating its 131st edition this year, its 30th running at Sha Tin, and its 5th year under the title sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz. It was first run back in 1873, which underlines the long-standing importance of horse racing in this city. Over the years, the Derby has given many of our great champions-to-be the first real chance to prove their speed and stamina, before they went on to challenge the top older horses later in their careers.
As the race is limited to four-year-olds, our elite young horses only get one chance in their career to challenge for this top honour. I think Tony Cruz's new ace Helene Mascot will be the horse to beat in this 2,000-metre race, while in-form opponents like Green Birdie, Dao Dao, Jackpot Delight and Win Practitioner also have chances for a close finish.
Just as important for me will be seeing whether the winner can go on to become a top performer at International Group One level, following in the recent footsteps of Lucky Owners, Vengeance Of Rain and Viva Pataca.
However, you should not overlook another major event in tomorrow's race card, the Queen Silver Jubilee Cup which is also the last leg of our Champion Sprint Series this year. I think it could be equally fascinating, in fact it could well prove a classic showdown that becomes remembered among local racing fans for many years to come, as our sprint champion Sacred Kingdom and top miler Good Ba Ba will have the first match-up of their career. At the intermediate distance of 1,400 metres, this race offers fair terms and grounds for the clash of these two titans. But should the race lack of pace, I would not be surprised if Down Town and Scintillation posing some threats to the two champions.
Those coming to Sha Tin on Sunday may also have the chance to witness our veteran trainer John Moore reach the remarkable tally of 1,000 career wins in Hong Kong, a mark from which he currently stands just two short. So please don't miss what is certain to be a very exciting raceday at Sha Tin tomorrow.
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