And so, we come to the final Happy Valley meeting of 2020. There is no question this has been one of the strangest and most confronting years in the history of our spectacular city track. If ever a racecourse was built to welcome a party crowd then this is the one, but Covid-19 concerns have hovered over the Valley for the vast majority of the year.
Those concerns have increased of late as Hong Kong fights a fourth wave of the virus. Caution and discipline are more important than ever for all within the Racing Bubble as we approach the holiday season, but I remain confident the Club can continue to manage this difficult situation as long as we have the buy-in and discipline of our dedicated employees and licensees.
COVID-19 does not take off days to celebrate Christmas and, with this in mind, I wrote this week to all trainers and jockeys, as well as other key employees, to thank them for the unity and discipline that has allowed us to successfully continue racing in Hong Kong. During trackwork at Sha Tin on Tuesday, I was delighted to receive the unqualified support and understanding of trainers and jockeys.
It is against this background that racing continues with all the appropriate protocols in place and there are plenty of positives to reflect on as Christmas draws closer.
Many congratulations to Christophe Soumillon for a double on his first day back in Hong Kong at Sha Tin on Sunday and similar sentiments to Frankie Lor, who saddled a treble and has joined the elite rank of Hong Kong trainers by passing the 200-winner mark in a little over three years since he was awarded a licence.
Both men will be strongly represented again this Wednesday and the final Valley fixture of any year always provides an opportunity to revisit the highlights of the last 12 months from one of the world’s most famous racing venues.
It seems a long time since Doctor Geoff won the Valley’s sole Group race for Francis Lui and Vincent Ho. That January Cup success laid the foundations for a spectacular year with Golden Sixty for Francis and Vincent and there have been big nights at the Valley for many more of Hong Kong racing’s leading players.
Zac Purton made a major move towards his fourth jockeys’ championship with a five timer in early May and Joao Moreira has fuelled his flying start this season with a series of big nights at the Valley including a four timer in late October.
Caspar Fownes is rightly proud of his Valley record and celebrated the 500th Valley success of his career when Explosive Witness scored just four weeks ago, but LONGINES IJC night is always the showpiece event of any year at Happy Valley and this year was no exception.
Given the complications of the pandemic it would have been easy enough to shelve our usual IJC format this year but that is not the Club’s way.
Creating an international bubble within the Racing Bubble and a more equitable format for allocating rides enabled us to stage one of the most open IJC contests on record, with Zac Purton capturing first prize and Hollie Doyle providing another great story as the first female rider ever to succeed on IJC night.
Of course, everyone at the Club and everyone who follows racing both here and abroad is looking forward to the day when crowds can return to the tracks to enjoy the sport in person.
That may take some while yet but it will come when the time is right. Hong Kong and the HKJC will continue to stand together during troubled times but, in the meantime, all that remains is to wish all our staff, supporters and fans a very happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas.
Wednesday’s Class 2 Mercury Handicap will be the final race run at Happy Valley in 2020 featuring three last-start winners and four others beaten a half-length or less last out. The pace will be fast with Classic Unicorn set to flash his speed from the inside gate. Californiadeepshot and Larson will also go forward from their outside draws.
Golden Dash has drawn a good gate on the C+3 course and should get a nice run from midfield. He won his last start at the track and distance, and is a win and place chance to repeat in his current form under Alexis Badel. Explosive Witness has won three consecutive races at the Valley and will be closing off strongly under Soumillon as a place chance.
Will Power is making a surprise appearance at the Valley but trialled well here back in May. The trainer-jockey combination of Douglas Whyte and Jerry Chau is heating up and Will Power is in career best form. He is also a place chance along with Shining Gem.
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