It was a great honour to receive the Gold Bauhinia Star on Saturday during the 2016 Honours and Awards Presentation Ceremony at Government House. I invited former Club Chairman Dr. John Chan to witness the ceremony as he was the Chairman at the time of my appointment as CEO and am incredibly thankful for the support he showed me throughout my career in Hong Kong. Below is a picture we took from the day, with my wife and Dr. Chan, along with Carrie Lam, who received the Grand Bauhinia Medal.
I am returning to Hong Kong today from Melbourne where I witnessed a great race on Tuesday when Almandin narrowly edged Heartbreak City in the Melbourne Cup, given a great ride by our leading rider Joao Moreira. This was the third winner in the last four Melbourne Cups by the great German sire Monsun, with two of the winners Almandin and Protectionist being foaled in Germany, and really exhibiting the quality of German stayers, especially over the expanded staying distance of 3200m. It was a very exciting day for racing and there is another big day looming on Saturday with our Emirates Stakes simulcast.
Last weekend, Living Legends, the Melbourne-based equine retirement centre, participated in the Melbourne Cup Carnival Charity Ball. Of course, Living Legends is home to many of our past Hong Kong’s champions including California Memory, Sacred Kingdom and Good Ba Ba. The crowd of more than 1,000 were treated to a fabulous spectacle when the great Silent Witness was paraded on centre stage at the Ball. He looked great in the pictures I saw and it is so heartening to see him thriving in his much-deserved retirement.
Our racing fans enjoyed the unique atmosphere of daytime racing at the Valley on Sunday and we will be at Sha Tin tonight for an evening dirt meeting as the winter seeding plan is ongoing at Happy Valley. It was a pleasure to watch the simulcast of Maurice win the Tenno Sho Autumn and it seems all is aligned for him to come to Hong Kong yet again, this time with a chance in the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup. A banner win over 2000m has added even more lustre to his already sensational career, and if he added a Cup win to last year’s Hong Kong Mile and Champions Mile wins, he would cap two wonderful seasons.
Tonight at Sha Tin, the seventh race is the Hebe Hill Handicap (1st section), a Class 3 over 1200m of the all-weather track. Circuit King likes to race forward and should do so with Sky Hero. Super Man, a recent big winner on the all-weather, will likely track just behind the lead while Startling Power gets blinkers again tonight and should be forwardly placed too. Bold Stitch is likely to be close to the pace as well, which could be quite quick. Star of Yan Oi gets blinkers as well, and he was settled forward in a recent barrier trial with them. So, overall, it seems like a race that could benefit those from off the pace, and that includes Grand Plus for Joao Moreira, a real course specialist, who should be in midpack. Harbour Nova, Charity Glory and Green Card are likely to be well back, along with Disciples Twelve.
This is a very competitive event and I will be looking to Disciples Twelve as my main win and place chance. He was a very close third here last season when in a Class 1 event, behind Pablosky and Packing Llaregyb, and should get a strong pace in this Class 3 event to make one late run. Grand Plus and Harbour Nova are both solid placing chances too, with the latter getting on the all-weather for the first time in a race after some decent trials on the surface in the past. Super Man must also be respected following his big effort last time, now stepping into Class 3.
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