On Sunday we hosted a ceremony at the Parade Ring of Sha Tin Racecourse to celebrate Sacred Kingdom's victory in the KrisFlyer International Sprint. I was happy to have another chance of meeting his owner Sin Kang-yuk there, following the great evening of celebrations we enjoyed at Kranji a week earlier. I had a brief chat with Mr Sin and Sacred Kingdom's trainer Ricky Yiu after the ceremony, about the horse's condition since his return from Singapore. Both of them told me he's settled back into in the quarantine stable very well and remains in great form. Obviously, the trip hasn't take much toll on him.
I was even more delighted to learn that Sacred Kingdom's connections have planned to take the plunge and run the horse in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Ascot on 20 June. I'm sure all Hong Kong racing fans will be eager to see how he shapes up in this International Group One event against other world-class sprinters from Europe and elsewhere. He will become the second Hong Kong horse to compete in this British sprint classic following Cape Of Good Hope's victory in 2005, and must stand a reasonable chance of emulating that success.
However, as I previously mentioned in this blog, it looks unlikely under current regulations that we will be able to simulcast the Golden Jubilee Stakes to Hong Kong, as it does not fall on a local raceday - and in any case our full quota of 10 overseas simulcasts a season will already have been used up when we bring you the Yasuda Kinen from Japan next week.
For many years now we've been bringing our local racing fans a certain number of overseas simulcasts each year, and they have proved to be quite popular, especially when Hong Kong racehorses are participating. The Singapore Airlines International Cup races last week were a notable instance as total turnover for the two simulcast races that we screened live to Hong Kong reached HK$31.9 million. Out of this sum, HK$4 million was generated as betting duty to the Government, but we only had an income of around HK$1.5 million from which we would have to pay a share to our partner - Singapore Turf Club - while the rest will be used to cover our costs, leaving almost no surplus for us. However, we still do this, so as to satisfy the needs of our customers.
If we really cannot simulcast the upcoming race at Ascot to Hong Kong for viewing and betting, you can be certain that the online and offshore bookmakers will do so instead. They will jump at this chance to lure Hong Kong racing fans to bet into their own pools, as they have done in the past in occasions like Watch What Happens' run in the Godolphin Mile last year, as well as Oriental Express and Resfa's participations in the Singapore Airlines International Cup in 2000. This betting money will then be drained to unauthorised offshore channels instead of contributing to the public purse here, and ultimately being used to help good causes.
Should Sacred Kingdom win the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, his connections will receive the winning trophy from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which will be a very proud moment for Hong Kong racing. So I do hope that the Government can exercise its discretionary power and extend our simulcast quota to allow us to bring this race live to Hong Kong.
Anyway, let's hope some good news will come soon. Tonight at Happy Valley, there will feature the South China Morning Post Cup race night. The SCMP is one of our key media partners and it seems that they have a better luck in enjoying a fine weather tonight. Among the eight races on the card, I shall be watching the performances of Vanquish Delight in the Style Magazine Handicap. This International Sale graduate has had great performances after stepping up to the mile and 2000m in his last three starts, as he snatched a winner and two runner-up finishes. He will be running at the longer distance of 2200m tonight and let's see if this will suit him more.
In the South China Morning Post Cup, another ISG National Glory had a decent run under Jeff Lloyd in his last start at the Valley, while another performer Our Lucky Baby has already made it two wins in a row at the same distance. I think they will be the two horses to beat in this race. However, I think another consistent runner Finn Maccool may pose a threat to the duo as his last three starts at Sha Tin, which have all drawn wide but still managed to get close finishes, show he's still very competitive at his current rating.
After enjoying the racing at Happy Valley, I plan to stay up late at home and watch the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona, as I'm sure many other local sports fans will be doing. This showdown match between two of the powerhouses of European football means a lot to both teams, as the Red Devils are seeking a quadruple after winning the Premiership, Carling Cup and World Club Cup this season, while Barça are also chasing a treble following their successes in La Liga and the Copa del Rey. In fact, I love both teams as they both play fantastic football. But if I had to pick a winner, I would slightly favour the chances of Manchester United, as Sir Alex Ferguson is a friend of mine and in my opinion the best ever manager of a professional football team in the world. Compared with his Barca counterpart Pep Guardiola, I think his coaching experience can make the difference in this final in Rome. But whatever the result, I'm certain it's going to be a very exciting match to watch.
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