Entering the month of March there will be plenty of happenings in the racing side. Our most prestigious local race, the BMW Hong Kong Derby, and the first Hong Kong International Sale of the season will be among the racing-related highlights of the month.
Our annual flagship community event, the Riding High Together Festival, will be celebrated over the first three days of the Easter holiday at Sha Tin Racecourse and Penfold Park, 30 March through 1 April. Ticket sales commenced on Thursday.
Over the past three years, more than 105,000 people attended the festival, which offers us a great opportunity to engage with many community members. It was always our aim to instill a positive “can-do” spirit and promote the concepts of continuous development, fostering cross-generational harmony to all participants.
Similarly this year we will arrange a large variety of activities, ranging from the popular pony rides and equestrian demonstrations, to a football skills workshop that features Manchester United legend Bryan Robson. We will have up to 1,000 participants from non-government organizations, primary and secondary schools take part in an event on the first day of the Festival with a goal of setting a world record for the most people painting figurines, guided by renowned local artist Ken Tang. I’m sure it will offer great fun for all and I look forward to seeing you there.
We have ten races scheduled at Sha Tin this afternoon, and Race 7 is the Class 2 Snipe Handicap, which includes some four-year-olds hoping to progress on to the BMW Hong Kong Derby. We will announce the selected runners for this year’s Derby on Wednesday. For this event, the pace is expected to be slow with Lucky Girl, who ran forward last time before weakening, though it was not a bad effort. Sergeant Titanium should track with the pair of Rivet and Ruthven in close attendance. Limitless is likely to be midfield with Patriot Hero and Last Kingdom behind. Good Omen, Zilong and Savvy Six should be near the rear.
Rivet, Ruthven, Savvy Six, Last Kingdom, Good Omen, Patriot Hero and Zilong are the seven 4-year-olds out of the 10 declared starters with an aspiration to be selected for the Derby. A good benchmark in this race for them should be Sergeant Titanium, ridden by Joao Moreira, who is in good form and a win and place chance.
Most of the 4-year-olds have not convinced yet despite some very good overseas form being Group 1 winners or being Group-level placed in other countries, and one of them is Rivet, a G1 winner in England over 1600m and placed in a G1 in France over the same distance. He showed some improvement in the Hong Kong Classic Cup when finished fifth when he could not find daylight in the straight and made good progress when clear thereafter. He is still a colt and has to carry top weight with 133 pounds, but I seem him as a win and place chance too.
Ruthven is still a colt too and has so far been disappointing. He is a strong, good-looking horse, but is not looking fully fit. He travelled well until the 200m when fading last time, but I would not rule him out for a place.
Outsiders for a place are Savvy Six and Last Kingdom, who won a Group 3 in France over 1800m and is a son of the legendary Frankel. He finished seventh in a Class 2 over 1600m at Sha Tin in his second Hong Kong start, but did not have a clear run and was not tested behind the winner of that race, Conte.
Savvy Six is Group 1-placed over 2400m on soft going in the German Derby and finished seventh on his debut in Hong Kong over 1600m in a Class 2, beaten two lengths to Eastern Express last week. He does not have an impressive action, but progressed steadily from the 300m, and the extra distance should help him having won his maiden race over 2200m.
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