At our race meeting last Sunday we began adopting a new way to present our betting turnover to the media and through them, to the public, by including the gross margin and betting duty figures in our post-meeting results announcement. I hope this practice will help you better appreciate that in no way does every dollar of betting turnover go to the Club. On the contrary, most of it goes back to bettors as dividends or to the Government as tax - and even then, we take only a small portion of what's left to support the running of the racing business, while the surplus is put aside for charitable and community projects.
The great support we get from our horse racing fans has always been one of the cornerstones of the sport's success in Hong Kong. The quality of our racehorses and jockeys are two other essential elements - and I was delighted to see some newer names among the horses and jockeys that delivered great performances on the Sha Tin turf on Sunday.
The thrilling run of reigning Hong Kong Sprint champion Inspiration in the Centenary Sprint Cup proved that his victory in our International Races last December was no fluke. Trainer John Moore said after the race that he's considering taking this fast-rising horse to Dubai to contest the Dubai Golden Shaheen in March. I'm sure you'll be as keen as I to see whether he can bring more glory there to his connections and to Hong Kong racing.
In the same race on Sunday, reigning world champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom also made his debut for the season. Although he only managed to finish fourth in this Group One event, I feel this was quite an acceptable performance after a nine-month absence from the track. I believe he can build on this warm-up race and further improve in the remaining two legs of the Hong Kong Speed Series in the coming weeks.
Recently, we've invited two new jockeys to join our line-up – Johan Victoire from France and James Winks from Australia, neither of whom has previously ridden in Hong Kong. They have both been working very hard and are now getting on the winning trail.
Johan has amazingly scored six winners for Sean Woods in just the same number of weeks, while James has notched two winners in the past three meetings. It's great to see these two young riders adapt so quickly to Hong Kong's very competitive racing environment. I also read racing news with James saying Hong Kong being such a professional place that makes one a better rider. That shows the attractiveness of our racing and the challenges it can offer for those young overseas riders. I hope Johan and James can keep it up in the weeks to come.
As well as trying to attract new talent to our racing operations, we are also committed to enhancing the entertainment value of racing and encouraging more people to come to the racecourse and learn about this great sport. This is especially true for Happy Valley, as I believe that our night meetings there are one of Hong Kong's unique forms of entertainment. We want to show people from different walks of life that the racecourse is not just a place for betting, but also a great place for social gathering where you can relax and have fun, especially during midweek after work.
So for the four evening race meetings at Happy Valley during February, starting tonight, we will be presenting a series of parties, featuring a different theme on each night. I hope you'll give this initiative your support and bring along your friends to enjoy this very special racing and entertainment experience.
Of course, the eight exciting races on our card tonight are also something not to be missed. Personally, I'll be interested to see the performances of Dragon Eye and Kenobe. Despite carrying top weight in his last two starts, Dragon Eye still managed to get close finishes. With apprentice jockey Derek Leung on board, he will be given a 10-pound allowance and let's see if this will favour him to produce an even better performance tonight. Being the current leader of the CSL Million Challenge, the in-form Kenobe will also be featuring in a 1,800m Class 3 race tonight. I'll see if he can again deliver some good results and extend his advantage in the leaderboard.
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