The overall strength of any organisation rests on the quality and commitment of its people and the Hong Kong Jockey Club is no different.
Indeed, the Club is fortunate to be blessed with a racing cohort comprised of world-class trainers and jockeys – expatriates and locals – veterinarians, integrity officials and farriers, among many others.
For me, some of the unsung heroes of the Club’s success in continuing horse racing as an important form of entertainment and engagement, while generating substantial revenue for the HKSAR Government, since early last year are the people who are largely unseen by the general public.
These are people who, along with our front-line staff in Off Course Betting Branches, hospitality and race-day operations, have repeatedly made great sacrifices on a personal level to ensure the continued success of Hong Kong racing.
They are the team members, both at Sha Tin and Conghua, who work tirelessly – often almost anonymously – to ensure racing thrives. The stable staff, in particular, have made a really important contribution.
As has become apparent again already this season, Conghua is a vital cog in Hong Kong racing’s wheel. Of the 46 races contested so far, 12 individual winners have been stabled on the Mainland as part of their winning preparation.
We saw 190 winners from Conghua across 835 races last season. On Sunday at Sha Tin, Dragon Fortune and Namjong Sings became the latest runners to salute the judge after transferring from our world-class Conghua facilities back to Hong Kong.
The increasing use of Conghua among our training group is instructive. At the start of this week, there were 733 horses stabled at Sha Tin and 312 at Conghua. Horses sent to the Mainland generally return mentally refreshed, fit and ready to perform.
Another interesting aspect about Conghua is the breakdown of the background of Club staff working at the facility. Of the 326 stable staff at Conghua, the vast majority – 275 to 51 – hail originally from the Mainland.
Sha Tin trainers value the ability of being able to trial horses in Conghua before racing in Hong Kong and it is pleasing that there are now 65 local work riders, including 25 experienced work riders, in service in Conghua.
The Conghua riding pool includes 11 expert work riders plus a further 29 riders who have been thoroughly prepared by the Club’s Racing Development Board as a pathway to a fulfilling career in racing.
I would like to especially thank 51 members of our Hong Kong staff who were seconded to Conghua to assist with operations and have subsequently been unable to move freely between Conghua and Hong Kong because of the pandemic. They have made a huge sacrifice in challenging circumstances and we are deeply appreciative of that.
I would also like to thank all Club staff, including those at Sha Tin, for their commitment, discipline and eagerness to learn during these challenging times.
The care and expertise provided to our horse population at Sha Tin is a credit to all staff involved and a key factor in Hong Kong’s capacity to produce world-class racing. As a Club, we are grateful to have so many talented people committed to the pursuit of excellence.
On Wednesday night at Happy Valley, the final race of the program is the Cooper Handicap, a Class 3 over 1200 metres with last-start winner Decisive Twelve well drawn on the C+3 course to try to make all the running as a win and place chance. Decisive Twelve has the services of regular rider Alexis Badel and was a relatively easy winner over the course and distance two weeks ago.
He will face pace pressure from Mighty Valour with Joao Moreira and Quadruple Double with Zac Purton to ensure a lively tempo. This will aid the chances of Transcendent, which closed well from last over the final 300 metres to finish third behind Decisive Twelve on opening night at Happy Valley. Karis Teetan has the ride and this time Transcendent has a much better draw. He is a place chance.
Seven Heavens made a promising return last start over 1000m and stepping up to 1200m will be in his favour. I expect him to be well positioned in the midfield under Luke Ferraris and I make him a place chance.
Quadruple Double is in good form and should be in the mix throughout as a place chance.
Finally, I would like to wish everyone a happy and festive time during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
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