One of the benefits of leading the Club team at a challenging time like this is the opportunity to get around the city and gauge the feelings of people from all sorts of backgrounds.
The last week has been highly informative in that regard and, once again, it is so impressive to see how staff and supporters are reacting as we move through the latest phase of the coronavirus outbreak.
Our staff have shown tremendous dedication to providing customers with the best service and, having spoken to many customers, it is gratifying to hear their positive response to the arrangements we have made to help them so far.
Their enthusiasm for Hong Kong racing is amazing and, of course, their continued support is fundamental in helping the Club assist those who need help most.
With that in mind, the Club has announced three new initiatives, namely HK$42 million towards providing mobile date for 100,000 underprivileged students, a HK$50 million top-up which brings the ‘COVID-19’ Emergency Fund to HK$100 million and HK$30 million towards more care packs for vulnerable groups.
It is easy to forget how many people have limited access to essential resources at times like this but the letters we have received from a range of Non-Government Organisations – including this excellent ‘Thank You’ card from a very young Nepalese child learning Chinese as part of the C4C project – reminds us of how much we can help those in need in a very efficient and non-bureaucratic way.
The Club strives to act continuously for the betterment of our society. Facing the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19, we have mobilised our in-house resources and capabilities and worked with like-minded community service partners to address urgent community needs. Our initiatives support over one million of the most vulnerable members of our society through the current situation, including the elderly, school children, ethnic minorities, those with disabilities and low-income families. I firmly believe that by caring for and working with each other with resilience and a can-do spirit, we can overcome the challenges stemming from the virus.
Some people have asked about the possibility of making the Mark Six lottery available again, which is an interesting proposition, but it is essential to note that we have four million Mark Six customers and that 70 per cent of business is in cash.
Even if only 30 per cent of those people wanted to buy tickets it would result in 800,000 or 900,000 people trying to access OCBB’s and, given the current access restrictions, the idea of re-opening Mark Six at this point simply doesn’t make sense.
On a more positive note, I hope we can do more for cash customers and on the issue of racecourse attendance in the coming weeks. Recent measures have reduced average attendance from 22,000 to not more than 500 but the Club has initiated a review and decided that, from this Saturday, all owners (not just those with starters) will be able to come racing provided they have a confirmed restaurant booking. In addition, the first race on race days with 10 races and 11 races will return to its normal start time of 1pm and 12.30pm respectively.
The Club will ensure social distancing at all racecourse venues and, with that in mind, we staged a practice session at Sha Tin on Sunday to create greater distance between tables. I would be delighted if we could return to a similar system to Chinese New Year for the BMW Hong Kong Derby, with families able to attend in seated venues with significant space. We look at everything day to day but agility is key and the Club’s teams are well prepared for what comes next.
Wednesday’s Class 3 Johnston Handicap is the seventh race of the night and will be run over 1200 metres with a number of horses expected to go forward to set an honest pace. Diamond Brilliant and First Responder will use their speed from outside gates along with Winning Method and Forza Angelfrom the middle.
Massive Pocket overcame the outside draw last month in this class, course and distance to give Vincent Ho his 300th winner in Hong Kong. He draws inside this time and must shoulder top weight with Vincent riding again. His form this season has been creditable and he is a win and place chance to repeat with a smooth run from midfield.
Be Ready makes his second start with blinkers and his first start at Happy Valley. He did trial at the Valley last September and comes off a sharp effort in his last start. Zac Purton takes the return engagement and Be Ready is a place chance coming from the back.
Honest Way follows a similar pattern, also making his second start with blinkers and his first at the city track. He won his only trial at the Valley, though that was 18 months ago. It is worth noting that he trialled very well over 800m at Sha Tin two weeks ago, showing improved speed, and so he is also a place chance along with Diamond Brilliant.
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