My cricketing friends in the Jockey Club tell me that when a batsman gets to 50 runs he has to re-focus and concentrate even harder.
Something similar comes to mind as we approach our 50th meeting of the season at Happy Valley this Wednesday and all our team remain determined to work through our latest challenge as efficiently as possible.
The effects of coronavirus are becoming clear the world over – with serious consequences for many sports – but Hong Kong is more attuned to handling issues like this than most places and it is a relief to see that, so far, our city has contained the issue very well overall.
We continue to move forward with cautious optimism in the hope that we can gradually return to something approaching normal over the coming weeks and the first step on that road has been taken with the re-opening of 17 Off-Course Betting Branches on Monday.
People have asked why we restricted the decision to this limited number of branches – which will also open on Thursday – and the answer is simple.
The outlets were chosen because they have significant floor space to reduce the risk of crowding and the reason for opening them is to allow people to access important services – such as cashing winning tickets or activating old and new online accounts – without compromising public health.
As always, our guiding principle is the safety of all our staff and everyone who enters Jockey Club premises.
Our research shows that if we decided to open all our OCBB’s for betting on the day before a race meeting there would be between 50,000 and 80,000 people passing through. That is not practical in the current situation but we are reviewing key issues on a daily basis.
Turnover on Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting was strong in the circumstances, which suggests that people are adapting to the current measures, and we are content to continue in this holding pattern while considering further ways to assist our members and supporters.
Wednesday’s sixth race is the Class 3 San Po Kong Handicap over 1650m, with Happy Force set to cross from gate 10 to set a true pace with fellow front runner Magnificent. This pair should provide a good lead to Solar Wai Wai from the inside draw but The Hulk and Surrealism may have to be taken back from gates 11 and 12 respectively.
Solar Wai Wai broke the Valley’s Class 3 1650m track record in January and is a place chance again for Neil Callan after a good fourth three weeks ago, while The Hulk has Zac Purton for the first time as he bids to recapture the form he showed when a strong second on IJC night and Magnificent has Joao Moreira for the first time as he returns from suspension.
The consistent Surrealism looks a place chance again under Karis Teetan despite his wide barrier but Jolly Honour is better drawn in stall 3 for Grant van Niekerk. Me Tsui’s gelding ran very well for third here last month, staying on after making a big move to lead briefly in the final 200m, and he looks a win and place chance in an open race.
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