I am sure all of our racing fans have heard the news that Champion Jockey Joao Moreira will conclude his full-time riding in Hong Kong at the end of this season with hopes of riding in Japan going forward.
While there is no doubt that our racing fans will miss seeing the Magic Man around Sha Tin and Happy Valley, one simply cannot deny how outstanding his Hong Kong accomplishments have been during his tenure here. Joao has been a wonderful talent and I firmly believe he will hold a long-lasting place in the record books of Hong Kong racing. His association with Able Friend and Rapper Dragon will likely be remembered most amongst our fans, as well as his incredible “Magic Eight”, winning eight races on 5 March 2017.
Joao has been an amazing athlete and he is one of the world’s most balanced and elegant jockeys, usually finding himself in complete harmony with the horse. He is also a great ambassador of the sport in general and his departure is definitely a loss to Hong Kong racing. Having said that, it opens up new opportunities for other riders in Hong Kong and also for talented jockeys overseas. It will definitely help us to attract some world class jockeys to Hong Kong because, in the past when I have talked to some of the great riders in the world about coming to Hong Kong, many of them were concerned that it was too difficult a task. Joao and Zac, between them, have taken approximately 30 percent of the winning rides and also stakes money, so they were worried they could not establish themselves. We are already in discussion with some top jockeys and you will hear about our plans soon. I wish Joao all the best for his future and would not be surprised to see him occasionally back in Hong Kong for some of our big races.
The pursuit of the 2017/18 premiership remains incredibly fun to follow between Joao and Zac Purton, and I am sure that there will be some even greater excitement to see how it turns out given Joao is now in the last ten meetings of his license. He still has to serve one meeting on suspension tomorrow and the Zac Attack will be in full force with 10 rides from our 11 races.
I must mention that it was great to see Ben So back in the winner’s enclosure when he guided Beaut Beaut to a Race 4 win. Ben was off for nearly a year due to injury and was, understandably, incredibly excited to get the win.
Other than the news on the jockeys roster, there was encouraging news about Guangzhou Customs and Conghua Agricultural Bureau inspections of our quarantine station facilities and operations. The government was very impressed with our facilities and this will allow us to begin our horse transport convoys to Conghua as planned on Tuesday. This is a critical smooth step ahead of the opening of Conghua Training Centre (CTC) in August.
This Sunday is Members’ Day at Sha Tin and it will be a grand celebration for our Members. The Club has more than 20,000 Members and they patronize our many different services and facilities, engaging in a host of activities offered exclusively for their benefit. For those racing fans among them, many not only attend the races in our Members areas, but spread the joy of racing and ownership through their families and into future generations.
We’ve held Members’ Day annually since the 2005/06 season. It gives us an opportunity to gather and connect with our Members, celebrating the long fellowship between us. We have prepared many special privileges, including complimentary door gifts, dining coupons and shopping offers to our Members in the racecourse. I hope all Members thoroughly enjoy their day with us at Sha Tin tomorrow.
Of course, we have 11 exciting races for all our racegoers on Sunday. The Members Cup is for Class 3 horses at 1200 metres and is carded as the eighth race of the day. Prince Harmony, Cruising and Alcari are likely to go forward and set a good pace. Each horse comes into the race from a different perspective. Prince Harmony comes off a big front-running effort at long odds, Cruising is making his first appearance in Hong Kong after showing some promise in Australia as well as a pair of sharp barrier trials at Sha Tin and Alcari adds blinkers for the first time whilst up in trip after a pair of tries at 1000 metres.
Prince Harmony is a win and place chance with Zac Purton riding him for the first time. The one concern is he is winless in seven races at Sha Tin and is a four-time winner at Happy Valley but he is coming off a solid effort over the course and distance three weeks ago. He has natural speed and each of his four wins have come when he has made all the pace. Cruising is a promising newcomer and it is worth noting that Purton rode him in his most recent trial. He also has excellent gate speed and will be on the pace from the outset and is a place chance to make a good first impression. Alcari is also a place chance along with Diamond Dragon, a horse that could improve after a pair to tough trips over a mile.
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