Last Sunday at Sha Tin was what I would call, a meeting for our more dedicated, hardcore racing fans as the feature race on the day was a competitive Class 2 handicap, but yet we set a new record for turnover from commingling at HK$159.5 million. The main driver of this growth has been the incredible interest from the United Kingdom, which began commingling only in December, contributing HK$108 million to the pools.
As you likely recall, I introduced the concept of commingling at the Asian Racing Conference in Dubai in 2007, projecting that it would be a serious driver for our business in the future. Racing customers, no matter where they are, demand a competitive product and unwavering integrity, two items which are hallmarks of racing in Hong Kong. Our average field size remains over 12 horses per race and the highly competitive handicap system in place yields such tight, exciting racing.
All of our meetings include some of the best jockeys in the world riding in our races. Combined with the outstanding racing information we provide, which creates a fully transparent experience for customers including veterinary records, trackwork details and incident reports, there should be no doubt that Hong Kong offers a best-in-class experience for racing fans at each and every meeting.
While commingling has taken a few years to implement, what is becoming clear now is the substantial impact of the overseas interest in our racing. Customers from many jurisdictions are participating in our racing like never before, and those numbers should only grow as time passes and familiarity grows. Some of the world’s leading horsemen and breeders are now much more aware of the quality and competitiveness of Hong Kong racing as the distribution of our racing expands.
When I was in Dubai for the World Cup race meeting and IFHA sessions, I caught up with trainer Aidan O’Brien and he told me how much he enjoyed getting a chance to see our racing twice a week on television through At The Races, one of our commingling broadcast partners. The impact on Hong Kong racing is obvious and when I reflect on the journey from the introduction of the concept in 2009 to where we are today, the results are astounding. It has become clear that Hong Kong racing, while providing more than HK$12 billion in race betting duty to Hong Kong, along with the charitable contributions derived from our net profits, has become one of the strongest global brands, if not the strongest, in Hong Kong.
We are anticipating that more commingling partners will join us in the coming months, expanding this global interest further. More eyes, and customers, are focused on Hong Kong racing than ever before. Hong Kong racing is a significant global brand and we continue to improve it wherever possible for the benefit of all.
Tonight at Sha Tin we have an all-weather meeting with eight races so as to give our turf tracks some time to recover. The Chun Shek Handicap is run as race seven and is the feature of the night, a Class 2 handicap over 1200 metres.
The pace is expected to be good-to-fast as D B Pin, who has advanced well through the grades, gets on the dirt for the first time. Most Beautiful is also likely to go forward. Hit The Bid, Pablosky and Time Warp all have some early speed and should be close behind with Fight Hero behind these. Harrier Jet should settle midfield while Perpetual Treasure could be caught wide. Blocker Dee might drop back given his wide barrier. Happy Surveys, All You Wish and Berlini should be near the rear in the early going.
D B Pin is my first choice despite carrying top weight and having his first race on dirt. He has very good tactical speed to take up a good position. He is an up-and-coming 4-year-old with potential and has a great combination with Zac Purton and trainer John Size. Fight Hero is a dirt specialist with three wins over course and distance, which makes him at least a placing chance. His course and distance win in Class 2 at his last start is a good one.
Hit The Bid and Perpetual Treasure are also dirt specialists who have similar records with three wins over the 1200m distance and are place chances. For me, the surprise horse could be Time Warp who finished third in his last start over 1200m on turf but is a fibresand winner over 1400m in Great Britain as a 2-year-old and has shown some potential in Hong Kong as just a 4-year-old.
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