If 2020 has taught us anything it is that nothing can be taken for granted but, for the moment at least, things appear to be moving in a positive direction both for our city as a whole and for the racing industry that plays such a vibrant role in its weekly life.
Hong Kong has ridden the third wave of COVID-19 over the summer, with the number of new cases hitting a two-month low this week. We sincerely hope that encouraging trend continues and, on the back of this good news, owners with starters can benefit from another step forward from Sunday as the number of accompanying guests allowed increases from one to three.
We would like to thank the Government for processing our request for such an increase for this Sunday and the following Wednesday so expediently. Many are of the perception that we determine how many people we can have in the racecourse but this is not the case. We are still operating under an exemption regulation sourced from the Chief Secretary for Administration but we are hopeful that we can welcome more spectators for next Sunday (20 September) in light of the more stable Covid Situation in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the 2020/21 racing season has got off to a flying start on several notable levels, with turnover hitting opening day records at both Sha Tin and Happy Valley and local turnover, helped by full fields, showing a particularly healthy spike at both fixtures.
And flying start is the perfect phrase to describe Zac Purton’s first week back in action. Our champion rider was quoted saying that “luck takes you a long way in Hong Kong” after adding to an opening day double with a tremendous four-timer on Wednesday but, of course, that tells only a fraction of the story.
Zac outscored his great rival Joao Moreira by 62-36 at the Valley on his way to a fourth title last season and the fact that he has ridden at least one winner at 33 of the last 34 meetings there dating back to this time last year tells the tale of a world-class rider who is at the peak of his powers at the moment.
Looking further afield, this weekend should be highly significant on the international scene, with the world’s highest rated horse Ghaiyyath seeking to remain unbeaten for the season against a strong field in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and Aidan O’Brien sending out many of his best horses in G1 contests all over Europe.
It’s interesting to note that Aidan’s Royal Ascot winner Russian Emperor is one of a strong-looking group of Private Purchases flying in to continue their careers in Hong Kong this weekend. He goes to Douglas Whyte, while the French Guineas and Derby runner-up The Summit travelled in the same batch and will be joining the David Hayes team.
As ever, it will be fascinating to see how the picture develops on the road to next year’s BMW Hong Kong Derby and time will also tell which of the star European horses in action this weekend will find their way to Sha Tin for the LONGINES HKIR in December.
However, the fact that our showpiece occasion is now just three months away is not lost on us. Hong Kong is moving forward carefully and prudently again as this immensely challenging year continues and the Club is following suit wherever possible as an exciting new racing season gathers pace.
Sunday’s Class 2 Ho Man Tin Handicap over 1000m is the featured ninth race and, as expected, the pace will be lively with fast horses such as Multimillion, Hong Kong Win, Mr Lumieres, Utopia Life and Team Spirit in opposition. Lucky More and Highly Proactive will also be prominent.
Hong Kong Win, Band Of Brothers, Gold Chest and Multimillion all won their first starts last season and it is interesting to see which horses perform well off an extended break. Gold Chest finished last season in good order and was very sharp in a recent trial. He has limited experience over the straight course but is a win and place chance under Chad Schofield in his current form.
Lucky More has also trialled well in preparation for his return and is a horse that runs well fresh. He will be in close contention under Alexis Badel and is a place chance along with the lightly-weighted Team Spirit and the reliable Hong Kong Win.
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