The world is a turbulent place at the moment and, as I have said several times in this Blog, racing can never exist in a bubble that is independent of society as a whole.
Things have moved on again this week – with the World Health Organisation declaring Covid-19 a pandemic – and the situation is having a huge impact on sport, with the NBA suspended, the Australian Grand Prix scrapped and and a host of high-profile golf, tennis and football events cancelled. Major racing events are also being hit and the Dubai World Cup meeting on 28 March will be run behind closed doors.
There is no question that Hong Kong has helped set the tone in the fight to limit infection. From restricting public gatherings, closing schools and colleges – and even down to panic buying – our city has followed a template that is now being replicated all around the world.
All the evidence suggests those stringent precautions have been fully justified. Our city continues to manage the situation prudently and, in tandem with those positive steps, the Club is taking gradual steps to make our racecourses available to more customers. It is important to stress that these are small initial steps and that it is going to take time for our sport to return to normality.
However, having reviewed the latest situation and the effectiveness of precautionary health measures implemented at racecourses, the Club has decided that, in addition to owners with starters, any owners with a prior table booking will be admitted to Sha Tin on 14 March.
Cross betting remains unavailable and betting facilities at Sha Tin Clubhouse will remain closed, while the Club will continue to ensure social distancing in all racecourse venues along with other precautionary measures for customers and staff such as temperature screening and wearing of face masks.
Saturday’s return to a 1pm start is another small step towards normality and the latest measures follow on from our decision to open 15 Off-Course Betting Branches and two racecourses to help customers access essential services on certain non-racing days.
Remarkably, this has already enabled 200,000 customers to be served in just four days and the shops in question – along with Sha Tin and Happy Valley racetracks – will open again on Monday 16 March.
As you may have noticed, more and more public services have resumed operations this week – including some indoor leisure venues, libraries and museums – and our latest measures reflect the fact that Hong Kong is slowly opening for business.
It has been great to welcome colleagues who have been working from home back to the office this week with more to follow in the coming days as part of a carefully planned split teams operation.
Their agility and resilience has helped the Club sustain its purpose of continuously acting for the betterment of society and I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the dedicated staff and supporters who are helping Hong Kong racing stand tall through this challenging time.
Moving on to Saturday’s Sha Tin action, it will be good to welcome Brazilian rider Vagner Borges back to Hong Kong. Vagner has been one of South American racing’s brightest stars for several years, with 14 G1 wins among over 1600 career successes, and he has eight chances to shine as he begins a three-month contract.
As for the feature event, it is the consistency of rising star Preciousship and the quality of Ka Ying Star that head a strong field in the Class 1 Lung Cheung Handicap over a mile. Ka Ying Star will use his genuine speed from a wide barrier to secure a forward position along with early leaders Encouraging and Good Standing. The pace will be good.
Preciousship gets in with a light weight and regular rider Vincent Ho as he moves up in class on the strength of four wins this season. He is at his best over the course and distance, and is well drawn to make his run from midfield. He is a win and place chance.
Ka Ying Star finished a good second behind Beauty Generation in the G1 Queen’s Sliver Jubilee Cup in his last start and steps back up in trip here. He has yet to win this season but has run some big races, including a second to Waikuku in the G2 Jockey Club Mile in November. He must carry top weight here and will be in the fight from the start as a place chance with Zac Purton aboard for the first time.
Fat Turtle won over a mile at Randwick in his final start before coming to Hong Kong. He has been very consistent over shorter trips and is well drawn to get a smooth run here. He is a place chance along with Fast Most Furious.
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