It's great to be back to Hong Kong after an exciting visit to Japan for the Yasuda Kinen over the past few days. Although our local horses Sight Winner and Armada finished only 6th and 8th respectively in this International Group One event, I would say these were still very creditable performances in regard to the quality of this year's field.
I think the way defending champion Vodka won this race was astonishing. It proved again that she is still the strongest horse in Japan right now, despite her previous setback in Dubai. Officials of the Japan Racing Association told me that more than 80,000 people were at the racecourse to see Sunday's meeting. Although various other on-course attractions had been arranged, including appearances by local pop stars, the JRA people were confident that the majority of these racegoers, including many young people, had come specifically to witness this third gripping encounter between Vodka and Deep Sky – the last two Japanese Derby champions in 2007 and 2008.
At the trophy presentation ceremony, there were huge cheers from the racegoers for Vodka's fantastic performance, and many of them also stayed behind until after the races to hear jockey Yutaka Take's winning speech. The great enthusiasm of their racing fans illustrates the cohesion of racing in Japanese society and how it has become a medium that connects people from many different walks of life.
Another race on Sunday's programme at Tokyo was the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy, specially arranged to mark Hong Kong-Japan Tourism Exchange Year 2009. At the presentation to the winning connections, Club Chairman John Chan and I were joined by Japan's tourism ambassador Hello Kitty, and again many young children and other racegoers surrounded the presentation area, waving hands and taking pictures to this popular icon. I think it's great to see the sport of racing embracing diversified elements and drawing interest from such a wide range of people.As horse racing is also Hong Kong's most popular spectator sport, I hope that the Club can move towards this same direction. That's why we have set up a blog for our leading jockey Douglas Whyte, and very recently another blog for Sacred Kingdom, in an effort to foster this kind of cohesion of racing heroes, sportsmanship and exciting races, among our local racing fans. I would very much welcome hearing your views on the ways how horse racing connects and cohere with our racing fans, which can you can leave here.
Last weekend, there were also a few classic races in the US and Europe and I've seen the replays of the Belmont Stakes and Epsom Derby. I was especially delighted to see that there was a winning Hong Kong connection in the latter race. Sea The Stars becomes the first runner to complete the 2,000 Guineas and Derby double in 20 years, and this horse is owned and bred by a Hong Kong family. The horse's trainer John Oxx mentioned that he believes 2,000m will be the best distance for this dual Classic Winner and I think it will be great if we can convince both the Owner and Trainer to run See The Stars in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup this December.
Anyway, let's get back to racing action in Hong Kong tonight, with eight races lined up on the card at Happy Valley. Personally, I shall be watching the performances of Plan B in the Cricket Club Valley Stakes. In this trophy event tonight, the undefeated Sun Trooper definitely looks to be the horse to beat in this race. However, as he will be starting the race from gate 8 and with an expected strong pace, I believe Plan B, who also won in a 1,000m race at Happy Valley this season and to start from gate 2 tonight, will probably be a more valued choice in this feature event.
I'll also pay my attention to Veni Vidi Vici in the Wong Nai Chung Gap Handicap. Having racked up three runner-up finishes in a row, this five-year-old has shown great improvements and consistency in his recent runs. With Mark Du Plessis again on board for this horse, let's see if he can make a breakthrough tonight.
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