Those of you who watched our Breeders' Cup simulcast on Sunday will surely have been awestruck by the performance of Zenyatta, who took on her male counterparts so brilliantly to achieve her 14th career win in the Breeders' Cup Classic, possibly her final race before retirement. I saw from the TV coverage that many racegoers at the Santa Anita track raised cards and banners with messages of support for this outstanding mare, both in the paddock and at trackside before the race. For me, it fondly recalled the times when our racegoers in Hong Kong did the same at Sha Tin to show their affection for our legendary sprinter Silent Witness.
Sha Tin has groomed many equine heroes over the years, but among them, I think Silent Witness holds a special place for us all. He was definitely a horse of a lifetime, with his 17 consecutive wins eclipsing the records of previous greats like Cigar and Ribot. His success and the "fighting spirit" not only moved our racing fans' hearts, but also those of many other local people who have no regular involvement in our sport at all.
Although Silent Witness retired in 2007 and is now enjoying a well-earned relaxation in Australia, his memory lives on. When his Owner Archie Da Silva proposed making a commemorative statue and displaying it at the racecourse, we were happy to take up the idea, so as to honour the horse's outstanding achievements, which helped underline the quality of Hong Kong racing at the international level. We then commissioned British sculptor Juliet Cursham to be responsible for this new art piece. She earlier produced for us the horse statue that stands outside the Club's Headquarters at Happy Valley.
As part of the Club's 125th Anniversary programme, we officially unveiled this bronze statue at Sha Tin yesterday. I was glad to see and chat with Archie again, while Silent Witness's jockey Felix Coetzee made a special return from South Africa to Hong Kong to attend the ceremony. Both told me the horse had provided them with countless unforgettable moments during his career, and they were glad to have the privilege of being associated with this magnificent horse.
This week actually marks the exact anniversary of the Club's foundation in 1884, so we shall be organising some extra-special events and attractions to celebrate this milestone, including the HKJC 125th Anniversary Cup Race and sweepstakes draw on Sunday. So I hope you'll come along to Sha Tin for an action-packed day this Sunday, and take the opportunity to admire the new Silent Witness statue at the same time. I'll tell you more in my next Blog later in the week.
While sharing the birthday celebrations with our racing fans, we have not forgotten the Club's dedicated staff, as without their loyalty and efforts, none of our racing or community activities could have achieved the success that they have. We have ordered hundreds of big birthday cakes for our employees in different work locations, to share a slice of joy with them and extend our thanks in this very special week.
We are also organising some special events tonight at Happy Valley, where you can try some old-time favourite Hong Kong snacks or win prizes for dressing up in fashions of the 1950s to '80s as part of our Classics Wednesday promotion.
On the track, we have eight races on the card and I shall be keeping a special watch out for Good Strike and Well Noted in the Cheung Hong Handicap. Having made two starts at Happy Valley this season, Good Strike had sound performances in this city track as he snatched a winner and a runner-up finish in the process. He will be competing in a 1200m race at Happy Valley for the first time. I think it should be a more suitable distance and I expect him to have another nice performance tonight. Well Noted has also shown nice progress this season, particularly for his close finish in his previous start in Happy Valley. He will again be partnered by Olivier Doleuze and I hope to see him run another good race this evening.
As for the Community Chest Cup, it appears to be a very open race but I would be interested to see how Ambitious General runs. It has been a while since this David Hall-trained runner ran closely in races, but he did it quite well in his previous race – a defeat to Unique Jewellery for a third place finish in a 1800m race in Sha Tin. Returning to Happy Valley and competing in the same distance tonight, I hope Brett Prebble will deliver even better performance and possibly getting this horse for his maiden victory in Hong Kong. However, Beauty Forever showed his strong credential in his last run in the SaSa Ladies' Purse Day a month ago. If he can handle the switch to the Happy Valley racetrack, he can well provide a strong challenge to Ambitious General in this cup event.
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