I'm sure many of you were concerned to learn about the staff redundancy news announced by a few large companies in Hong Kong recently. Although layoffs are always the simplest and most direct cost-reduction option for a company, I very much agree with what Chief Secretary Henry Tang's comment that employees are important assets in a company and resources to be treasured. At times of economic recession, maintaining the number of jobs is of great importance to the stability of the workforce. As one of the largest employers in Hong Kong, we at the Jockey Club will try our best not to resort to laying off staff, despite the impact of the economic downturn on our turnover that I expect to be worsen in the coming few months.
Over the years, the Club has been committed to enhancing the quality of Hong Kong horse racing and elevating it to international standards. This greatly relies on the hard work of the Club's operational team, as well as having quality horses. It's clear that these efforts have borne fruit in recent years, as a number of our top locally-based racehorses have earned global recognition by winning international Group One races either on home turf or overseas. Their successes have strongly boosted the status of Hong Kong racing on the international front, and brought much pride and prestige to Hong Kong.
I'm happy to share with you the news that the Club and Hongkong Post are collaborating to launch a "G1 World Champions Stamps" souvenir postal cover next week, to commemorate the achievements of Hong Kong horses on the world stage. The four horses featured will be reigning Horse of the Year Good Ba Ba, former world-leading sprinter Silent Witness, Hong Kong's highest stakes earner Vengeance Of Rain, and Global Sprint Challenge winners Cape of Good Hope. All these four horses have become world champions in one way or another, and I think it's very meaningful to recognise their contribution to local sport in such a special manner.
Actually, in places like Europe, Australia and America where horse racing is also very popular, it's not unusual for the postal authorities to issue stamps with a racing theme. I'm delighted that Hongkong Post has given us an opportunity to co-operate in the same way here. I hope all local racing fans and stamp collectors will enjoy acquiring this unique souvenir.
While these great champions have already earned their fame and fortune, a new crop of four-year-old elites are now bidding to become the next local racing legend, as they feature in the second leg of our four-year-old classic series – the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby Trial – at Sha Tin Racecourse tomorrow.
This Group 2 event has long been the race that provides connections with the chance to test the stamina and ability of their young runners, and give them a final tune-up before they move on to the Hong Kong Derby – one of our most historic and prestigious races. That's why tomorrow's trial is a race that you really shouldn't miss.
I really think this Group 2 race is a smashing race and the expected slow tempo may give us some surprising results. Despite the possible slow pacing, I will be expecting a very exciting competition between Thumbs Up, More Bountiful and Roma Pegasus before the winning post as all of them delivered a great turn of foot in the straight last time in the Mercedes Benz Hong Kong Classic Mile. Other than the trio, Vigor Delight ran an improving race in the Classic Mile and he could be the surprise over the 1800M.
Among 10 other races on Sunday's card, I'll also be interested to see how Elite Sixty-Six and Fleet Command perform. Elite Sixty-Six is another fast-improving type from John Moore stable with one winner and one second within his first two runs. Although, this is the first time he runs over 1400M, it will not be too surprising if he can produce another decent performance. Fleet Command ran a promising fourth in the Classic Mile last time and he should have further improvement after his last race.
By the way, it's great to learn and I'm eager to share with you the news that Lucky Quality has been selected for the Golden Shaheen in Dubai in late March, and its owner has already accepted Dubai Racing Club's invitation. This is an exciting news and I truly hope this prolific dirt runner can get a decent result at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse.
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